bait

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

English [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Middle English 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; hunting”), Old English bāt (“that which can be bitten, food, bait”). Related to bite.

Noun [edit]

bait (plural baits)

  1. Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net.
  2. Food containing poison or a harmful additive to kill animals that are pests.
  3. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation.
  4. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.
  5. A light or hasty luncheon.
Usage notes [edit]

Used in Geordie dialect of English to denote your lunch at work as opposed to other meals. Also used in East Anglian dialect of English to denote a small meal taken mid-morning while farming, and in the North of England to denote a snack taken by miners to eat while working.

Translations [edit]
substance used in catching fish
poisoned food to kill pests
anything which allures
portion of food or drink taken on a journey
light or hasty luncheon
Derived terms [edit]
References [edit]
  • Newcastle 1970s, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin, [1]
  • The New Geordie Dictionary, Frank Graham, 1987, ISBN 0946928118
  • Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4[2]
  • Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[3]
  • A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, ISBN 1904794165

Etymology 2 [edit]

From Middle English 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 [edit]

bait (third-person singular simple present baits, present participle baiting, simple past and past participle baited)

  1. (transitive) To set dogs on (an animal etc.) to bite or worry; to attack with dogs, especially for sport.
  2. (transitive) To intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass.
  3. (transitive, now rare) To feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book V:
      And than they com into a lowe medow that was full of swete floures, and there thes noble knyghtes bayted her horses.
  4. (intransitive) Of a horse or other animal: to take food, especially during a journey.
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.22:
      King Cyrus, that he might more speedily receave news from al parts of his Empire (which was of exceeding great length), would needs have it tried how far a horse could in a day goe outright without baiting, at which distance he caused stations to be set up, and men to have fresh horses ready for al such as came to him.
  5. (transitive) To attract with bait; to entice.
  6. (transitive) To affix bait to a fishing hook or fishing line.
Usage notes [edit]
  • 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.
Translations [edit]
to attract with bait
to affix bait
See also [edit]

Etymology 3 [edit]

French battre de l'aile or des ailes, to flap or flutter.

Verb [edit]

bait (third-person singular simple present baits, present participle baiting, simple past and past participle baited)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey.
    • Shakespeare
      Kites that bait and beat.

Anagrams [edit]

Malay [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Arabic بَيْتٌ (beyt), from Proto-Semitic *bayt-.

Alternative forms [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

  • (Johor-Selangor) IPA: /baet/
  • (Riau-Lingga) IPA: /baɪt/
  • Rhymes: -aet, -et

Noun [edit]

bait (Jawi spelling بيت)

  1. house (abode)
  2. home (house or structure in which someone lives)
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=bait&oldid=20555232"