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BIT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected forms: bitted , bitting
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press
Example:
he looked around for the right size bit
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
cutting implement (a tool used for cutting or slicing)
Meronyms (parts of "bit"):
shank (cylinder forming the part of a bit by which it is held in the drill)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
bur; burr (small bit used in dentistry or surgery)
center bit; centre bit (a bit with a sharp center point for guidance and two side cutters)
chamfer bit (a bit that is used for beveling)
counterbore; countersink; countersink bit (a bit for enlarging the upper part of a hole)
drill bit; drilling bit (a bit used in drilling for oil)
expansion bit; expansive bit (a bit with a cutting blade that can be adjusted to different sizes)
pilot bit (a small bit that drills a first hole to guide a larger drill)
spade bit (a thin bit with a center point and cutting edges on either side)
twist bit; twist drill (a bit or drill having deep helical grooves)
Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):
drill (a tool with a sharp point and cutting edges for making holes in hard materials (usually rotating rapidly or by repeated blows))
Sense 2
Meaning:
Piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding
Example:
the horse was not accustomed to a bit
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
saddlery; stable gear; tack (gear for a horse)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
snaffle; snaffle bit (a simple jointed bit for a horse; without a curb)
Pelham (a bit with a bar mouthpiece that is designed to combine a curb and snaffle)
curb; curb bit (a horse's bit with an attached chain or strap to check the horse)
bridoon (a bit resembling a snaffle bit; used with a separate curb)
bar bit (a bit for horses that is a solid bar of metal)
Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):
bridle (headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The part of a key that enters a lock and lifts the tumblers
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
part; portion (something less than the whole of a human artifact)
Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):
key (metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A short performance that is part of a longer program
Example:
it was one of the best numbers he ever did
Synonyms:
act; bit; number; routine; turn
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
performance; public presentation (a dramatic or musical entertainment)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
show-stopper; showstopper; stopper (an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A small fragment
Example:
overheard snatches of their conversation
Synonyms:
bit; snatch
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
fragment (an incomplete piece)
Sense 6
Meaning:
An instance of some kind
Example:
he had a bit of good luck
Synonyms:
bit; piece
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
case; example; instance (an occurrence of something)
Sense 7
Meaning:
A small amount of solid food; a mouthful
Example:
all they had left was a bit of bread
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
mouthful; taste (a small amount eaten or drunk)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
chaw; chew; cud; plug; quid; wad (a wad of something chewable as tobacco)
crumb (small piece of e.g. bread or cake)
sop; sops (piece of solid food for dipping in a liquid)
Sense 8
Meaning:
A small fragment of something broken off from the whole
Example:
a bit of rock caught him in the eye
Synonyms:
bit; chip; flake; fleck; scrap
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
fragment (a piece broken off or cut off of something else)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
matchwood (fragments of wood)
exfoliation; scale; scurf (a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin)
scurf ((botany) a covering that resembles scales or bran that covers some plant parts)
sliver; splinter (a small thin sharp bit or wood or glass or metal)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states
Example:
there are 8 bits in a byte
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
unit; unit of measurement (any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
check bit; parity; parity bit ((computer science) a bit that is used in an error detection procedure in which a 0 or 1 is added to each group of bits so that it will have either an odd number of 1's or an even number of 1's; e.g., if the parity is odd then any group of bits that arrives with an even number of 1's must contain an error)
Holonyms ("bit" is a part of...):
byte (a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information)
Sense 10
Meaning:
A small piece or quantity of something
Example:
I gave him a bit of my mind
Synonyms:
bit; spot
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)
Derivation:
bitty ((used informally) very small)
Sense 11
Meaning:
An indefinitely short time
Example:
in just a bit
Synonyms:
bit; minute; mo; moment; second
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("bit" is a kind of...):
time (an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bit"):
blink of an eye; flash; heartbeat; instant; jiffy; New York minute; split second; trice; twinkling; wink (a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat))
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Past simple of the verb bite
Context examples:
Only when a new sample comes from the chemist, there’s a bit of a break.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
“Ah,” said Silver, “it were fortunate for me that I had Hawkins here. You would have let old John be cut to bits, and never given it a thought, doctor.”
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
“Wait a bit, Gregson,” said Sherlock Holmes.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“Liar!” cried the woman; and, stooping her head, she suddenly bit fiercely into the broad brown hand which held her.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
By the way, you’re a bit of a duellist yourself, Tregellis.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
For patients who receive marrow or peripheral blood cells, platelet engraftment often happens at the same time or a little bit after neutrophil engraftment.
(Platelet Engraftment, NCI Thesaurus)
In a classical computer, to double the amount of information you have to double the number of bits.
(Quantum state of single electrons controlled by ‘surfing’ on sound waves, University of Cambridge)
When exposed to microbially-produced acids, granite tombstones gradually become pitted as bits of rock are dissolved.
(Tales from the crypt: Life after death in a graveyard, National Science Foundation)
“It’s a bit like film photography,” explained graduate student researcher Daniel Oran.
(Researchers Use Laser to Shrink Objects to Nanoscale, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Nearest the black hole, the gas orbits at close to the speed of light, while the outer portions spin a bit more slowly.
(NASA Visualization Shows a Black Hole’s Warped World, NASA)
