bit

pronunciation

How to pronounce bit in British English: UK [bɪt] word uk audio image

How to pronounce bit in American English: US [bɪt] word us audio image

Noun:

a small quantity
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
an indefinitely short time
an instance of some kind
piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding
a unit of measurement of information (from Binary + digIT); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states
a small amount of solid food; a mouthful
a small fragment
a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program
the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press

Word Origin

bit: bit: There are three distinct nouns bit in English, but the two most ancient ones are probably both related ultimately to the verb bite. Bit as in ‘drill bit’ [OE] originally meant simply ‘bite’ or ‘biting’. The Old English word, bite, came from Germanic *bitiz, a derivative of the verb *bītan ‘bite’. The ‘drill bit’ sense did not develop until the 16th century.The bit placed in a horse’s mouth is probably the same word. Bit meaning ‘small piece’ [OE] also comes from a Germanic derivative of *bītan, in this case *biton; this gave Old English bita ‘piece bitten off’. The more general sense, ‘small piece’, developed in the 16th century. The third bit, ‘unit of computer information’ [20], is a blend formed from ‘binary digit’.=> bite

bit (n.1): "small piece," c. 1200; related Old English bite "act of biting," and bita "piece bitten off," probably are the source of the modern words meaning "boring-piece of a drill" (1590s), "mouthpiece of a horse's bridle" (mid-14c.), and "a piece bitten off, morsel" (c. 1000). All from Proto-Germanic *biton (cognates: Old Saxon biti, Old Norse bit, Old Frisian bite, Middle Dutch bete, Old High German bizzo "biting," German Bissen "a bite, morsel"), from PIE root *bheid- "to split" (see fissure). Meaning "small piece, fragment" is from c. 1600. Sense of "short space of time" is 1650s. Theatrical bit part is from 1909. Money sense in two bits, etc. is originally from Southern U.S. and West Indies, in reference to silver wedges cut or stamped from Spanish dollars (later Mexican reals); transferred to "eighth of a dollar."

bit (n.2): computerese word, 1948 abbreviation coined by U.S. computer pioneer John W. Tukey (1915-2000) of binary digit, probably chosen for its identity with bit (n.1).

3. Even the notoriously curmudgeonly peruvians have warmed a bit to democracy .

4. Just how that bit of happiness turns into a habit involves a pleasure-sensing chemical named dopamine .