bit

== Translingual == === Etymology === Clipping of English Bitara. === Symbol === bit (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Berinomo. === See also === Wiktionary’s coverage of Berinomo terms == English == === Pronunciation === enPR: bĭt, IPA(key): /ˈbɪt/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈbɪ̝t/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈbɘt/ Rhymes: -ɪt Hyphenation: bit === Etymology 1 === From Middle English bitte, bite, from Old English bita (“bit; fragment; morsel”) and bite (“a bite; cut”), from Proto-Germanic *bitô and *bitiz; both from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”). More at bite. ==== Noun ==== bit (plural bits) A piece of metal placed in a horse's mouth and connected to the reins to direct the animal. Synonyms: kimberwicke, pelham, snaffle A rotary cutting tool, fitted to a drill, brace, or router, used to bore or drill holes or to remove material from the profile of the workpiece. Hyponyms: drill bit, drillbit router bit;   chamfering bit Applied to a various small units of currency and coins. Synonyms: coin, piece (dated, British) A coin of a specified value. (historical, US and Canada) A unit of currency worth one eighth of a dollar, originally of a Spanish dollar but later also US or Canadian; also, a coin with this value, in particular the silver Spanish real. (obsolete, US and Canada) A coin of a value similar but not equal to this, in particular the ‘short bit’, i.e. the ten-cent piece or dime. (historical) A unit of currency and coin of the British West Indies worth six black dogs, originally equal to one-eighth of a Spanish dollar but later increasingly debased to one tenth, one eleventh, one twelfth, etc. (historical) A unit of currency of the Dutch West Indies in the early 20th century, worth one fifth of a cent. Synonym of microbitcoin. A small amount of something. Synonyms: (of food) morsel, piece, scrap; see also Thesaurus:modicum (informal) Specifically, a small amount of time. Synonyms: instant, jiffy, tick; see also Thesaurus:moment Antonyms: age, (US) while; see also Thesaurus:eon (informal) A small fraction above a whole number. (in the plural, informal, sports) Fractions of a second. Synonym: split-second A portion of something. Synonyms: portion, share, segment; see also Thesaurus:piece Somewhat; something, but not very great; also used like jot and whit to express the smallest degree. See also a bit. A replaceable tip for a hand tool or power tool, comprising the portion that drives a fastener. Near-synonym: driver driver bit (slang) A prison sentence, especially a short one. Synonym: bid An excerpt of material making up part of a show, comedy routine, etc. (slang) A gag or put-on; a humorous conceit, especially when insistently presented as true. Synonyms: shaggy dog story, wind up; see also Thesaurus:joke Ellipsis of bit part. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers. The cutting iron of a plane. The bevelled front edge of an axehead along which the cutting edge runs. (BDSM) A gag of a style similar to a bridle. (MLE) A gun. Synonyms: (MLE) skeng, toy, wap; see also Thesaurus:firearm ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== bits (“genitals”) ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== bit (third-person singular simple present bits, present participle bitting, simple past and past participle bitted) (transitive) To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of (a horse). ==== References ==== === Etymology 2 === See bite. Replaced a former strong past tense, seen in Middle English bot and Old English bāt. ==== Verb ==== bit simple past of bite (informal in US, archaic in UK) past participle of bite, bitten ==== Adjective ==== bit (not comparable) (chiefly in combination) Having been bitten. ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 3 === Coined by John Tukey in 1946 as an abbreviation of binary digit, probably influenced by connotations of “small portion”. First used in print 1948 by Claude Shannon. Compare byte and nybble, with similar food associations. ==== Noun ==== bit (plural bits) (mathematics, computing) A binary digit, generally represented as a 1 or 0. (computing) The smallest unit of storage in a digital computer, consisting of a binary digit. Synonym: b (information theory, cryptography) Any datum that may take on one of exactly two values. (information theory) A unit of measure for information entropy. A microbitcoin, or a millionth of a bitcoin (0.000001 BTC). ===== Hyponyms ===== ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== ban, nat, qubit ==== References ==== === Anagrams === Bti, ITB, TBI, TiB, tib == Azerbaijani == === Etymology === From Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/, [ˈbit̪ʰ] === Noun === bit (definite accusative biti, plural bitlər) louse ==== Declension ==== == Catalan == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbit] Rhymes: -it === Noun === bit m (plural bits) (computing) bit == Czech == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈbɪt] Rhymes: -ɪt Homophone: byt === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English bit, from binary digit. ==== Noun ==== bit m inan (computing) bit ===== Declension ===== ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Participle ==== bit masculine singular passive participle of bít === Further reading === “bit”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech) “bit”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989 “bit”, in Akademický slovník cizích slov at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz [Academic dictionary of foreign words] (in Czech), 1995 == Dutch == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bɪt/ Hyphenation: bit Rhymes: -ɪt === Etymology 1 === Ablaut of bijten. ==== Noun ==== bit n (plural bitten, diminutive bitje n) bit (for a working animal) bit (rotary cutting tool) mouthguard === Etymology 2 === From English bit. ==== Noun ==== bit m (plural bits, diminutive bitje n) bit (binary digit) bit (unit of storage) bit (datum with two possible values) == French == === Etymology === From English. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bit/ === Noun === bit m (plural bits) (computing) bit ==== Derived terms ==== bit le moins significatif bit le plus significatif === Further reading === “bit”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Hungarian == === Etymology === From English bit. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈbit] Hyphenation: bit Rhymes: -it === Noun === bit (plural bitek) (computing) bit (binary digit) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === References === === Further reading === bit in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024). == Indonesian == === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈbit/ [ˈbɪt̪̚] Rhymes: -it Syllabification: bit === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English bit (“binary digit”). ==== Noun ==== bit (plural bit-bit) (computing) bit, smallest unit of storage === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from Dutch biet, from Middle Dutch bete, from Latin bēta. ==== Noun ==== bit (plural bit-bit) common beet, beetroot, sugar beet, and chard (Beta vulgaris) buah bit ― beetroot ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 3 === Borrowed from English bit, from Middle English bitte, bite, from Old English bita (“bit; fragment; morsel”) and bite (“a bite; cut”), from Proto-Germanic *bitô and *bitiz; both from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”). ==== Noun ==== bit (plural bit-bit) bit an excerpt of material making up part of a show, comedy routine, etc. a gag or put-on; a humorous conceit, especially when insistently presented as true === Further reading === “bit”, 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 == Italian == === Etymology === Borrowed from English bit, from binary digit. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/ Rhymes: -it Hyphenation: bìt === Noun === bit m (invariable) (computing) bit, smallest unit of storage. === References === == Juba Arabic == === Etymology === From Sudanese Arabic بت (bitt), from Arabic بِنْت (bint). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/, [ˈbit] === Noun === bit (plural banaat) daughter girl ==== Synonyms ==== === References === Ian Smith; Morris Timothy Ama (1985), A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎[9], 1st edition, Juba: The Committee of The Juba Cheshire Home and Centre for Handicapped Children, page 127 == Karaim == === Etymology === From Proto-Turkic *bït. === Noun === bit louse === References === N. A. Baskakov, S.M. Šapšala, editor (1973), “bit”, in Karaimsko-Russko-Polʹskij Slovarʹ [Karaim-Russian-Polish Dictionary], Moscow: Moskva, →ISBN == Khalaj == === Etymology === From Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [bɪt], [bi(ˑ)t], [biːt] (Xarrâbî) IPA(key): [bɪt], [bit] === Noun === bit (definite accusative bitü, plural bitlər) louse ==== Declension ==== === References === Doerfer, Gerhard (1980), Wörterbuch des Chaladsch (Dialekt von Charrab) [Khalaj dictionary] (in German), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó Doerfer, Gerhard (1988), Grammatik des Chaladsch [Grammar of Khalaj] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →ISBN, →OCLC == Lower Sorbian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bʲit/ === Verb === bit supine of biś == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === ==== Noun ==== bit alternative form of bite === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== bit alternative form of bitte == Nigerian Pidgin == === Etymology === From English beat. === Verb === bit beat == North Frisian == === Alternative forms === bitj (Föhr-Amrum) bite (Mooring) === Etymology === From Old Frisian bīta. === Verb === bit (Sylt) to bite ==== Conjugation ==== == Norwegian Bokmål == === Etymology 1 === From Old Norse biti. ==== Noun ==== bit m (definite singular biten, indefinite plural biter, definite plural bitene) a bit, piece (of something) a bite, mouthful (of food) ===== Derived terms ===== isbit smakebit === Etymology 2 === From English bit (“binary digit”). ==== Noun ==== bit m (definite singular biten, indefinite plural bit or biter, definite plural bitene) a bit (binary digit) === References === “bit” in The Bokmål Dictionary. == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Alternative forms === bætta (piece, dialectal) === Etymology 1 === From Old Norse. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /biːt/ ==== Noun ==== bit m (definite singular biten, indefinite plural bitar, definite plural bitane) a bit, piece (of something) ===== Derived terms ===== hugbit isbit smakebit === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from English bit (“binary digit”). ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /bɪtː/ ==== Noun ==== bit m (definite singular biten, indefinite plural bit or bitar, definit plural bitane) a bit (binary digit) === Etymology 3 === Inherited from Old Norse bit. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /biːt/ ==== Noun ==== bit n (definite singular bitet, indefinite plural bit, definite plural bita) a bite (e.g. insect bite, dog bite) a bite, mouthful (of food) === Etymology 4 === From the first person singular present indicative of Old Norse bíta, and from the second person singular imperative Old Norse bíta. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /biːt/ ==== Verb ==== bit inflection of bite: present imperative === References === “bit” in The Nynorsk Dictionary. == Old English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbiː.ten.ne/ === Verb === bīt imperative singular of bītan == Old Irish == === Verb === bit third-person plural future of is == Polish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/ Rhymes: -it Syllabification: bit Homophones: bid, Bid === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English bit. ==== Noun ==== bit m inan (related adjective bitowy) (mathematics, computing) bit (binary digit, generally represented as a 1 or 0) bit informacji ― a bit of information bit po bicie ― bit by bit ===== Declension ===== ===== Related terms ===== === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from English beat. ==== Alternative forms ==== beat ==== Noun ==== bit m inan beat (instrumental portion of a piece of hip-hop music) (music) beat (rhythm signalled by a conductor or other musician to the members of a group of musicians) ===== Declension ===== === Etymology 3 === Borrowed from English drill bit. ==== Noun ==== bit m inan drill bit ===== Declension ===== === Etymology 4 === Borrowed from English big beat. ==== Alternative forms ==== beat ==== Noun ==== bit m inan big beat (form of pop music having distorted breakbeats at a moderate tempo) Synonym: big-beat polski bit ― Polish big beat ===== Declension ===== === Further reading === bit in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN bit in Polish dictionaries at PWN == Portuguese == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English bit. === Pronunciation === === Noun === bit m (plural bits) (mathematics, computing) bit (binary digit) ==== Synonyms ==== Abbreviations: b ==== Coordinate terms ==== Multiples: kilobit, megabit, gigabit, terabit, petabit, exabit, zettabit, yottabit ==== Related terms ==== byte (unit equivalent to 8 bits) === Further reading === “bit”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “bit”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from English bit or French bit. === Noun === bit m (plural biți) (computing) bit ==== Declension ==== == Saterland Frisian == === Etymology === Related to German bis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bɪt/ Hyphenation: bit Rhymes: -ɪt === Conjunction === bit until === Preposition === bit until, to ==== Derived terms ==== === References === Marron C. Fort (2015), “bit”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN == Scots == === Adjective === bit Little. === Noun === bit (plural bits) (slang) the area one resides in; neighbourhood, ends == Serbo-Croatian == === Etymology 1 === From bȉti (“to be”). ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /bîːt/ ==== Noun ==== bȋt f (Cyrillic spelling би̑т) essence point, meaning ===== Declension ===== ==== Further reading ==== “bit”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026 === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from English bit. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /bît/ ==== Noun ==== bȉt m inan (Cyrillic spelling би̏т) (computing) bit ===== Declension ===== ==== Further reading ==== “bit”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026 == Slavomolisano == === Etymology === From Serbo-Croatian biti, from Proto-Slavic *byti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bū́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-. === Verb === bit pf or impf to be === References === Walter Breu and Giovanni Piccoli (2000), Dizionario croato molisano di Acquaviva Collecroce: Dizionario plurilingue della lingua slava della minoranza di provenienza dalmata di Acquaviva Collecroce in Provincia di Campobasso (Parte grammaticale)., pp. 409–412 == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English bit. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/ [ˈbit̪] Rhymes: -it Syllabification: bit === Noun === bit m (plural bits) bit (binary digit) === Further reading === “bit”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Etymology 1 === From Old Norse biti. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /biːt/ Rhymes: -iːt ==== Noun ==== bit c a piece (forming a part of some whole) a bit a bit (certain (not insignificant) distance) way, ways, distance (when more idiomatic) (figuratively) a bit (of time) a tune, a piece (song) Synonyms: låt, sång ===== Usage notes ===== Del (“part”) is often more idiomatic when piece is interchangeable with part. ===== Declension ===== ===== Derived terms ===== bitsocker (“sugar in the form of sugar cubes, lump sugar”) i bitar pusselbit (“puzzle piece”) sockerbit (“sugar cube”) ===== See also ===== del (“part”) stycke (piece that is a fragment of something in some sense – compare stycka) === Etymology 2 === From English bit, from binary digit. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /bɪt/ Rhymes: -ɪt ==== Noun ==== bit c (computing) a bit ===== Declension ===== === Etymology 3 === ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /biːt/ Rhymes: -iːt ==== Verb ==== bit imperative of bita === References === “bit”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “bit”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “bit”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) == Turkish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/, [ˈbit̪ʰ] === Etymology 1 === Inherited from Ottoman Turkish بیت, بت (bit), from Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”). ==== Noun ==== bit (definite accusative biti, plural bitler) (zoology, specifically) louse belonging to genus Pediculus (generally) a sucking insect parasitic on plants or animals, including true lice and aphids ellipsis of bitpazarı (“flea market”) ===== Declension ===== ===== Derived terms ===== ===== See also ===== === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from English bit, abbreviation of binary digit. ==== Noun ==== bit (definite accusative biti, plural bitler) (computing) bit ===== Declension ===== ===== Synonyms ===== ikil === Etymology 3 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== bit second-person singular imperative of bitmek === Further reading === “bit”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu Ayverdi, İlhan (2010), “bit”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007), “bit¹”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 629 Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007), “bit⁵”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 629 Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “bit”, in Nişanyan Sözlük == Turkmen == === Etymology === From Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”). Cognate with Old Turkic [script needed] (bit), Turkish bit (“louse”), etc. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbit/, [ˈbɪt̪] === Noun === bit (definite accusative bidi, plural bitler) (zoology) louse ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “bit” in Enedilim.com == Vietnamese == === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓit̚˧˧] (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓit̚˧˧] (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔɓɨt̚˧˧] === Noun === bit (computing) bit == Zhuang == === Pronunciation === (Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /pit˥/ Tone numbers: bid7 Hyphenation: bit === Etymology 1 === From Proto-Tai *pitᴰ (“duck”). In Northern Tai, cognate with Bouyei bidt, Saek ปิ๊ด. In Zuojiang Zhuang, cognate with bwt (Chongzuo and Ningming dialects) or bit (Longzhou dialect) or bet (Daxin dialect). In Central Tai, cognate with Nong Zhuang bet (Guangnan dialect) or baet (Yanshan dialect) or byet. In Southwestern Tai, cognate with Thai เป็ด (bpèt), Northern Thai ᨸᩮᩢ᩠ᨯ, Isan เป็ด, Lao ເປັດ (pet), Khün ᨸᩮ᩠ᨯ, Lü ᦵᦔᧆ (ṗed), Tai Dam ꪹꪜꪸꪒ, Shan ပဵတ်း (páet), Tai Nüa ᥙᥥᥖᥱ (pět), Ahom 𑜆𑜢𑜄𑜫 (pit). Compare Old Chinese 鴄 (OC *pʰid), Proto-Be *ɓitᴰ¹. ==== Noun ==== bit (classifier duz, Sawndip forms 鴓[3] or 𱈶[3] or ⿰品鳥[3], 1957–1982 spelling bit) duck ===== Derived terms ===== roegbit === Etymology 2 === From Chinese 筆 (MC pit). ==== Noun ==== bit (classifier gaiq, Sawndip forms 𣭈[3] or 𰚎[3], 1957–1982 spelling bit) pen; pencil; writing implement ==== Classifier ==== bit (1957–1982 spelling bit) Classifier for sums of money and deals. === Etymology 3 === From Chinese 匹 (MC phjit). ==== Classifier ==== bit (1957–1982 spelling bit) Classifier for cloth: bolt of === References ===