bait

== English == === Pronunciation === enPR: bāt, IPA(key): /beɪt/ Rhymes: -eɪt Homophone: bate === Etymology 1 === From Middle English bayte, bait, beite, from Old Norse beita (“food, bait”), from Proto-Germanic *baitō (“that which is bitten, bait”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to cleave, split, separate”). Cognate with German Beize (“mordant, corrosive fluid; marinade”), Old English bāt (“that which can be bitten, food, bait”). Related to bite. ==== Noun ==== bait (countable and uncountable, plural baits) Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net. Food containing poison or a harmful additive to kill animals that are pests. Anything which allures; something or someone used to lure or entice someone or something into doing something (as the head of a compound) Something that lures or entices a specified group A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment. (Geordie, Durham) A packed lunch - the bite to eat a worker took with them to eat (East Anglia) A small meal taken mid-morning while farming. (Northern England) A miner's packed meal. A light or hasty luncheon. (Internet slang) A post intended to elicit a, usually strong or negative, reaction from others. ===== Alternative forms ===== (abbreviation) b8 ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== bait (third-person singular simple present baits, present participle baiting, simple past and past participle baited) (transitive) To attract with bait; to entice. (transitive) To affix bait to a trap or a fishing hook or fishing line. (transitive) To lay baits in an environment to control pest species. (transitive) To target a pest species by laying baits. ===== Usage notes ===== This verb is sometimes confused in writing with the rare verb bate, which is pronounced identically; in particular, the expression with bated breath is frequently misspelled *with baited breath by writers unfamiliar with the verb bate. ===== Alternative forms ===== (abbreviation) b8 ===== Translations ===== ==== References ==== Scott Dobson, Dick Irwin, “bait”, in Newcastle 1970s: Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group‎[2], archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Frank Graham, editor (1987), “BAIT”, in The New Geordie Dictionary, Rothbury, Northumberland: Butler Publishing, →ISBN. Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4 Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[3] Bill Griffiths, editor (2004), “bait”, in A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear: Northumbria University Press, →ISBN. === Etymology 2 === From Middle English bayten, baiten, beiten, from Old Norse beita (“to bait, cause to bite, feed, hunt”), from Proto-Germanic *baitijaną (“to cause to bite, bridle”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to cleave, split, separate”). Cognate with Icelandic beita (“to bait”), Swedish beta (“to bait, pasture, graze”), German beizen (“to cause to bite, bait”), Old English bǣtan (“to bait, hunt, bridle, bit”). ==== Verb ==== bait (third-person singular simple present baits, present participle baiting, simple past and past participle baited) (transitive) To set dogs on (an animal etc.) to bite or worry; to attack with dogs, especially for sport. (transitive) To intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass. Synonyms: badger, hound; see also Thesaurus:pester (transitive, archaic) To feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey. (intransitive) Of a horse or other animal: to take food, especially during a journey. (intransitive) (of a person) To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment during a journey. ===== See also ===== bait (dogs) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Etymology 3 === French battre de l'aile or des ailes, to flap or flutter. ==== Verb ==== bait (third-person singular simple present baits, present participle baiting, simple past and past participle baited) (obsolete, intransitive) To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey. === Etymology 4 === Etymology unknown. ==== Adjective ==== bait (comparative baiter, superlative baitest) (MLE) Obvious; blatant. (MLE) Well-known; famous; renowned. ===== Synonyms ===== (obvious): See also Thesaurus:obvious (well-known): See also Thesaurus:famous ==== References ==== Tony Thorne (2014), “bait”, in Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, 4th edition, London; […]: Bloomsbury === Anagrams === tabi, IBAT, a bit, abit, bati == Cimbrian == === Etymology === From Middle High German wīt, from Old High German wīt, from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz (“wide, broad”). Cognate with German weit, Dutch wijd, English wide, Icelandic víður. === Adjective === bait (comparative baitor, superlative dar baitorste) (Sette Comuni, Luserna) wide, broad an baitar bèg ― a wide road Dar bèg is bait. ― The road is wide. distant, far Synonym: vèrre ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== baitekhot === References === “bait” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo == Indonesian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈba.it/, [ˈba.ɪt̪̚] === Etymology 1 === Inherited from Malay bait, from Arabic بَيْت (bayt), from Proto-Semitic *bayt-. ==== Noun ==== bait (plural bait-bait) house (abode) home (house or structure in which someone lives) (literature) couplet (a pair of lines in poetry) Synonyms: untai, kuplet (literature) stanza (a unit of a poem, often in the form of a paragraph) Synonym: stanza ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from Malay bait, from English byte. ==== Noun ==== bait (plural bait-bait) (nonstandard) alternative spelling of bita === Further reading === “bait”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Malay == === Pronunciation === (Johor-Selangor) IPA(key): /baet/ (Riau-Lingga) IPA(key): /baɪt/ Rhymes: -aet, -et === Etymology 1 === From Arabic بَيْت (bayt), from Proto-Semitic *bayt-. ==== Noun ==== bait (Jawi spelling بيت, plural bait-bait or bait2) house (abode) home (house or structure in which someone lives) (literature) couplet (a pair of lines in poetry) ===== Descendants ===== → Indonesian: bait === Etymology 2 === From English byte. ==== Noun ==== bait (Jawi spelling باٴيت, plural bait-bait or bait2) byte === Further reading === "bait" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017 == Marshallese == === Pronunciation === (phonetics) IPA(key): [pˠɑːitˠ], (enunciated) [pˠɑ itˠ] (phonemic) IPA(key): /pˠæɰjitˠ/ Bender phonemes: {bahyit} === Noun === bait boxing === Verb === bait hit punch === References === Marshallese–English Online Dictionary == Middle English == === Noun === bait alternative form of bayte == Portuguese == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English bait. === Pronunciation === === Noun === bait m (plural baits) (Internet slang) bait (post intended to elicit a reaction from others) === Further reading === “bait”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2026 == Romanian == === Noun === bait m (plural baiți) alternative form of byte ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English bait === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbeit/ [ˈbei̯t̪] Rhymes: -eit === Noun === bait m (plural baits) (Internet slang, colloquial) bait joke ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. == Tagalog == === Etymology === From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bait. Compare Bikol Central buot, Cebuano buot, Malay baik, and Māori pai. === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /baˈʔit/ [bɐˈʔɪt̪̚], (colloquial) /baˈʔet/ [bɐˈʔɛt̪̚] Rhymes: -it Syllabification: ba‧it === Noun === baít (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜁᜆ᜔) kindness Synonyms: kabaitan, kabutihang-loob, kagandahang-loob senses; clear state of mind Synonyms: sentido, sentido-komun, huwisyo, isip prudence; cautiousness Synonyms: timpi, pigil docility; domesticity ==== Derived terms ==== === Anagrams === tabi, taib, bati == Welsh == === Alternative forms === baet === Verb === bait (literary) second-person singular imperfect subjunctive of bod ==== Synonyms ==== byddit byddet === Mutation ===