bite

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to penetrate or cut, as with a knife

   The knife bit into the ripe tomato.

2. 2
   verb

   to deliver a sting to

   The bee bit me.

3. 3
   verb

   to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws

   Gunny invariably tried to bite her

4. 4
   verb

   to cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort

   The wind was biting.

5. 5
   noun

   a portion removed from the whole

   the government's weekly bite from my paycheck

6. 6
   noun

   in angling, an instance of a fish taking the bait

   After fishing for an hour, I still had not had a bite.

7. 7
   verb

   To cut into something by clamping the teeth.

   As soon as you bite that sandwich, you'll know how good it is.

8. 8
   verb

   To attack with the teeth.

   That dog is about to bite!

Etymology

From Middle English biten, from Old English bītan (“bite”), from Proto-West Germanic *bītan, from Proto-Germanic *bītaną (“bite”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“split”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian biete (“bite”), West Frisian bite (“bite”), Dutch bijten (“bite”), German Low German bieten (“bite”), German beißen, beissen (“bite”), Danish bide (“bite”), Swedish bita (“bite”), Norwegian Bokmål bite (“bite”), Norwegian Nynorsk bita (“bite”), Icelandic bíta (“bite”), Gothic 𐌱𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (beitan, “bite”), Latin findō (“split”), Ancient Greek φείδομαι (pheídomai), Sanskrit भिद् (bhid, “break”)…