Bit

17 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\ (Computers) [binary digit.]
     1. the smallest unit of information, equivalent to a choice
        between two alternatives, as yes or no; on or off.
        [PJC]
  
     2. (Computers) the physical representation of a bit of


        information in a computer memory or a data storage medium.
        Within a computer circuit a bit may be represented by the
        state of a current or an electrical charge; in a magnetic
        storage medium it may be represented by the direction of
        magnetization; on a punched card or on paper tape it may
        be represented by the presence or absence of a hole at a
        particular point on the card or tape.
        [PJC]
  
     {Bit my bit}, piecemeal. --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\ (b[i^]t), n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr.
     b[imac]tan to bite. See {Bite}, n. & v., and cf. {Bit} a
     morsel.]
     1. The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted
        in the mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which
        the reins are fastened. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The foamy bridle with the bit of gold. --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\, n.
     In the British West Indies, a fourpenny piece, or groat.
     [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bitted}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Bitting}.]
     To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. b[imac]tan to bite; akin
     to D. beet, G. bissen bit, morsel, Icel. biti. See {Bite},
     v., and cf. {Bit} part of a bridle.]
     1. A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken
        into the mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of
        anything; a little; a mite.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Somewhat; something, but not very great.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              My young companion was a bit of a poet. --T. Hook.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express
           the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually
        turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See {Bitstock}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the
        bolt and tumblers. --Knight.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. The cutting iron of a plane. --Knight.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver
        coin (as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth
        about 12 1/2 cents; also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\,
     imp. & p. p. of {Bite}.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bite \Bite\ (b[imac]t), v. t. [imp. {Bit} (b[i^]t); p. p.
     {Bitten} (b[i^]t"t'n), {Bit}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Biting}.] [OE.
     biten, AS. b[imac]tan; akin to D. bijten, OS. b[imac]tan,
     OHG. b[imac]zan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. b[imac]ta,
     Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to
     cleave. [root]87. Cf. {Fissure}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the
        thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth;
        as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Such smiling rogues as these,
              Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some
        insects) used in taking food.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure,
        in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the
        mouth. "Frosts do bite the meads." --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the
        anchor bites the ground.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The last screw of the rack having been turned so
              often that its purchase crumbled, . . . it turned
              and turned with nothing to bite.      --Dickens.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {To bite the dust}, {To bite the ground}, to fall in the
        agonies of death; as, he made his enemy bite the dust.
  
     {To bite in} (Etching), to corrode or eat into metallic
        plates by means of an acid.
  
     {To bite the thumb at} (any one), formerly a mark of
        contempt, designed to provoke a quarrel; to defy. "Do you
        bite your thumb at us?" --Shak.
  
     {To bite the tongue}, to keep silence. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Bit \Bit\,
     3d sing. pr. of {Bid}, for biddeth. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bit
       n 1: a small quantity; "a spot of tea"; "a bit of paper" [syn: {spot}]
       2: a small fragment of something broken off from the whole; "a
          bit of rock caught him in the eye" [syn: {chip}, {flake},
          {fleck}, {scrap}]
       3: an indefinitely short time; "wait just a moment"; "it only
          takes a minute"; "in just a bit" [syn: {moment}, {minute},
           {second}]
       4: an instance of some kind; "it was a nice piece of work"; "he
          had a bit of good luck" [syn: {piece}]
       5: piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to
          control the horse while riding; "the horse was not
          accustomed to a bit"
       6: a unit of measurement of information (from Binary + digIT);
          the amount of information in a system having two
          equiprobable states; "there are 8 bits in a byte"
       7: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left
          was a bit of bread" [syn: {morsel}, {bite}]
       8: a small fragment; "overheard snatches of their conversation"
          [syn: {snatch}]
       9: a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer
          program; "he did his act three times every evening"; "she
          had a catchy little routine"; "it was one of the best
          numbers he ever did" [syn: {act}, {routine}, {number}, {turn}]
       10: the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded
           and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press;
           "he looked around for the right size bit"
       [also: {bitting}, {bitted}]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bite
       n 1: a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
       2: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left
          was a bit of bread" [syn: {morsel}, {bit}]
       3: a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger
          into skin [syn: {sting}, {insect bite}]
       4: a light informal meal [syn: {collation}, {snack}]
       5: (angling) an instance of a fish taking the bait; "after
          fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite"
       6: wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with
          typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" [syn: {pungency}]
       7: a strong odor or taste property; "the pungency of mustard";
          "the sulfurous bite of garlic"; "the sharpness of strange
          spices" [syn: {pungency}, {sharpness}]
       8: the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws
          [syn: {chomp}]
       9: a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly
          bite from my paycheck"
       v 1: to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or
            jaws; "Gunny invariably tried to bite her" [syn: {seize
            with teeth}]
       2: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun
          burned his face" [syn: {sting}, {burn}]
       3: penetrate or cut, as with a knife; "The fork bit into the
          surface"
       4: deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday" [syn: {sting},
           {prick}]
       [also: {bitten}, {bit}]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bit
       See {bite}
       [also: {bitting}, {bitted}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  469 Moby Thesaurus words for "bit":
     ALGOL, COBOL, EDP, FORTRAN, a breath, a continental, a curse,
     a damn, a darn, a hoot, ace, act, actor, aculeus, acumination,
     afterpiece, allotment, allowance, alphabetic data,
     alphanumeric code, anchor watch, angular data, antagonist,
     antihero, arrest, assembler, atom, auger, back band, backstrap,
     bagatelle, bauble, bean, bearing rein, bellyband, bibelot, big end,
     bigger half, binary digit, binary scale, binary system, bit part,
     bite, blinders, blinds, borer, bowshot, brake, brass farthing,
     breeching, bridle, brief span, budget, bug, butt, button, byte,
     caparison, cast, cavesson, cent, chain, channel, character, chaser,
     check, checkrein, cheekpiece, chinband, chip, chock, chunk, cinch,
     cipher, clip, clipping, clog, close quarters, close range, collar,
     collop, command pulses, commands, commission,
     communication explosion, communication theory, compiler,
     computer code, computer language, computer program, constrain,
     contingent, control signals, controlled quantity,
     correcting signals, countercheck, crack, crownband, crumb, crupper,
     cue, curb, curb bit, curio, curtain, curtain call, curtain raiser,
     cusp, cut, cutting, dab, damper, data, data retrieval,
     data storage, day shift, deal, decoding, destiny, digit,
     divertimento, divertissement, dividend, dogwatch, dole, dollop,
     doorstop, dot, drag, drag sail, dram, dribble, driblet,
     drift anchor, drift sail, drill, drogue, drop, dwarf, earreach,
     earshot, electronic data processing, encoding, end, entropy,
     epilogue, equal share, error, error signals, exode, exodus,
     expository scene, farce, farthing, fat part, fate, feather,
     feedback pulses, feedback signals, feeder, fetter, fig, figure,
     film data, finale, fleabite, fleck, flyspeck, folderol, fragment,
     fribble, frippery, full time, gag swivel, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack,
     girth, gob, gobbet, grain, granule, graveyard shift, groat,
     gunshot, hackamore, hair, hair space, hairbreadth, hairsbreadth,
     half, half rations, half time, halfpenny, halter, halver, hames,
     hametugs, handful, harness, headgear, headstall, heavy, helping,
     hero, heroine, hexadecimal system, hill of beans, hip straps,
     hoke act, hold back, hold down, hold in, holdback, hunk, inch,
     information, information explosion, information theory, ingenue,
     inhibit, input data, input quantity, instant, instructions,
     interest, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, introduction, iota,
     jaquima, jerk line, jest, joke, jot, kickshaw, knickknack,
     knickknackery, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man,
     leading woman, lines, little, little bit, little ways,
     little while, lobster trick, lot, lota, lump, machine language,
     martingale, measure, meed, mere subsistence, mess, message,
     minikin, minim, minimum, minutiae, mite, mockery, modicum, moiety,
     molecule, molehill, moment, morsel, mote, mouthful, mucro,
     multiple messages, neb, needle, nib, night shift, no time, noise,
     noseband, notation, number, numeral, numeric data, numero,
     nutshell, octal system, oscillograph data, ounce, output data,
     output quantity, overtime, pair of winks, paring, part, part time,
     particle, pebble, pelham, peppercorn, percentage, person,
     personage, picayune, piece, pin, pinch, pinch of snuff, pinprick,
     pistol shot, pittance, play, point, polar data, pole strap,
     portion, prick, prickle, prologue, proportion, protagonist,
     punch-card data, quantum, quota, rake-off, random data, rap,
     rasher, ration, rectangular data, red cent, redundancy,
     reference quantity, reins, relay, remora, ribbons, role, routine,
     row of pins, ruly English, rush, saddle, scene, scoop, scotch,
     scrap, scrimption, scruple, sea anchor, segment, shackle,
     shaft tug, shard, share, shaving, shift, shit, shiver,
     short allowance, short commons, short distance, short piece,
     short spell, short time, short way, shred, shtick, side,
     side check, sign, signal, signals, single messages, sketch, skit,
     slice, sliver, small share, small space, smidgen, smitch,
     smithereen, snack, snaffle, snap, snatch, sneeshing, snip, snippet,
     song and dance, sou, soubrette, space, span, speck, spell,
     spitting distance, splinter, split schedule, split shift, spoke,
     spoonful, spot, spurt, stake, stand-up comedy act,
     starvation wages, stay, step, sting, stint, stitch, stock, stop,
     straight part, straw, stretch, striptease, stump, sunrise watch,
     supporting character, supporting role, surcingle, swing shift,
     symbol, tack, tackle, tatter, thimbleful, time, tiny bit, tip,
     title role, tittle, tour, tour of duty, toy, trammel, trappings,
     trick, trifle, trifling amount, trinket, trivia, triviality, tug,
     tuppence, turn, turn of work, two cents, two shakes, twopence,
     unorganized data, villain, visible-speech data, walk-on,
     walking part, watch, whet, whim-wham, whit, winker braces,
     withhold, work shift, yoke
  
  

From Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) [vera]:

  BIT
       Basic Interconnection Test (ISO 9646-1)
       
       

From Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) [vera]:

  BIT
       Binary digIT
       
       

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  bit n. [from the mainstream meaning and `Binary digIT'] 1. [techspeak]
     The unit of information; the amount of information obtained by asking a
     yes-or-no question for which the two outcomes are equally probable. 2.
     [techspeak] A computational quantity that can take on one of two values,
     such as true and false or 0 and 1. 3. A mental flag: a reminder that
     something should be done eventually. "I have a bit set for you." (I
     haven't seen you for a while, and I'm supposed to tell or ask you
     something.) 4. More generally, a (possibly incorrect) mental state of
     belief. "I have a bit set that says that you were the last guy to hack
     on EMACS." (Meaning "I think you were the last guy to hack on EMACS, and
     what I am about to say is predicated on this, so please stop me if this
     isn't true.")
  
     "I just need one bit from you" is a polite way of indicating that you
     intend only a short interruption for a question that can presumably be
     answered yes or no.
  
     A bit is said to be `set' if its value is true or 1, and `reset' or
     `clear' if its value is false or 0. One speaks of setting and clearing
     bits. To {toggle} or `invert' a bit is to change it, either from 0 to 1
     or from 1 to 0. See also {flag}, {trit}, {mode bit}.
  
     The term `bit' first appeared in print in the computer-science sense
     in a 1948 paper by information theorist Claude Shannon, and was there
     credited to the early computer scientist John Tukey (who also seems to
     have coined the term `software'). Tukey records that `bit' evolved over
     a lunch table as a handier alternative to `bigit' or `binit', at a
     conference in the winter of 1943-44.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  bit
       
           (b) {binary} digit.
       
          The unit of information; the amount of information obtained by
          asking a yes-or-no question; a computational quantity that can
          take on one of two values, such as false and true or 0 and 1;
          the smallest unit of storage - sufficient to hold one bit.
       
          A bit is said to be "set" if its value is true or 1, and
          "reset" or "clear" if its value is false or 0.  One speaks of
          setting and clearing bits.  To {toggle} or "invert" a bit is
          to change it, either from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.
       
          The term "bit" first appeared in print in the computer-science
          sense in 1949, and seems to have been coined by the eminent
          statistician, {John Tukey}.  Tukey records that it evolved
          over a lunch table as a handier alternative to "bigit" or
          "binit".
       
          See also {flag}, {trit}, {mode bit}, {byte}, {word}.
       
          [{Jargon File}]
       
          (2002-01-22)
       
       

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Bit
     the curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them. The
     Hebrew word (metheg) so rendered in Ps. 32:9 is elsewhere
     translated "bridle" (2 Kings 19:28; Prov. 26:3; Isa. 37:29).
     Bits were generally made of bronze or iron, but sometimes also
     of gold or silver. In James 3:3 the Authorized Version
     translates the Greek word by "bits," but the Revised Version by
     "bridles."