bait

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See also: bait-

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

bait (countable and uncountable, 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; something used to lure or entice someone or something into doing something
    • 2017 June 7, Adam Lusher, “Adnan Khashoggi: the 'whoremonger' whose arms deals funded a playboy life of decadence and 'pleasure wives'”, in The Independent‎[1], London:
      One of the “girls” used in this way, Pamella Bordes, later spoke of being “part of an enormous group … used as sexual bait.”
  4. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.
    • 1824, Thomas Fielding, Select Proverbs of All Nations, page 132:
      A short stop, but no refreshment. Such baits are frequently given by the natives of the principality to their keffels, or horses, particularly after climbing a hill.
    • 1817 December​, [Jane Austen], chapter XX, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Murray, […], 1818, →OCLC, page page 70:
      The tediousness of a two hours' bait at Petty-France, in which there was nothing to be done but to eat without being hungry, and loiter about without any thing to see, next followed […]
    1. (Tyneside) A packed lunch.
    2. (East Anglia) A small meal taken mid-morning while farming.
    3. (Northern England) A miner's packed meal.
    4. A light or hasty luncheon.
  5. (Internet slang) A post intended to get a rise out of others.
    Please stop posting bait, or I will have to mute you.
  6. (fandom slang, as the head of a compound) Something that lures or entices a specified group (Should we delete(+) this sense?)
    queerbait
    sequel bait
    Netflix bait
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
References[edit]
  • Newcastle 1970s, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin, [2]
  • Frank Graham (1987) The New Geordie Dictionary, →ISBN
  • Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
  • Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[3]
  • A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, →ISBN

Verb[edit]

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

  1. (transitive) To attract with bait; to entice.
  2. (transitive) To affix bait to a trap or 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]

Etymology 2[edit]

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[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.
    to bait a bear with dogs;  to bait a bull
  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.
  4. (intransitive) (of a horse or other animal) To take food, especially during a journey.
    • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 22, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
      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. (intransitive) (of a person) To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment during a journey.
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.

Etymology 4[edit]

Etymology unknown.

Adjective[edit]

bait (comparative baiter, superlative baitest)

  1. (MLE) Obvious; blatant.
    • 2008, “Power”, in Famous?, performed by Jamie "Jme" Adenuga and Tim Westwood:
      I've been at home all day / Cloning £50 notes, this is sick / But it's a bit bait / Cause all the serial numbers are the same / So I can't spend them in the same place
  2. (MLE) Well-known; famous; renowned.
Synonyms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Cimbrian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

bait (comparative baitor, superlative dar baitorste) (Sette Comuni, Luserna)

  1. wide, broad
    an baitar bèg ― a wide road
    Dar bèg is bait. ― The road is wide.
  2. distant, far
    Synonym: vèrre

Declension[edit]

Positive forms of bait
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative èar ist bait zi ist bait is ist bait ze zèint bait
with definite article nominative dar baite de baita 's baite de baiten
accusative in baiten de baita 's baite de baiten
dative me baiten dar baiten me baiten in baiten
with indefinite article nominative an baitar an baita an baites (khòone) baiten
accusative an baiten an baita an baites (khòone) baiten
dative aname baiten anara baiten aname baiten (khòonen) baiten
without article nominative baite
accusative baite
dative baiten
Comparative forms of bait
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative èar ist baitor zi ist baitor is ist baitor ze zèint baitor
with definite article nominative dar baitore de baitora 's baitore de baitorn
accusative in baitorn de baitora 's baitore de baitorn
dative me baitorn dar baitorn me baitorn in baitorn
with indefinite article nominative an baitorar an baitora an baitors (khòone) baitorn
accusative an baitorn an baitora an baitors (khòone) baitorn
dative aname baitorn anara baitorn aname baitorn (khòonen) baitorn
without article nominative baitore
accusative baitore
dative baitorn
Superlative forms of bait
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative èar ist dar baitorste zi ist dar baitorsta is ist dar baitorste ze zèint dar baitorste
with definite article nominative dar baitorste de baitorsta 's baitorste de baitorsten
accusative in baitorsten de baitorsta 's baitorste de baitorsten
dative me baitorsten dar baitorsten me baitorsten in baitorsten
with indefinite article nominative an baitorstar an baitorsta an baitorstes (khòone) baitorsten
accusative an baitorsten an baitorsta an baitorstes (khòone) baitorsten
dative aname baitorsten anara baitorsten aname baitorsten (khòonen) baitorsten
without article nominative baitorste
accusative baitorste
dative baitorsten

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • “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[edit]

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology[edit]

From Malay bait, from Arabic بَيْت‎ (bayt), from Proto-Semitic *bayt-.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈba.ɪt̪̚]
  • Hyphenation: ba‧it

Noun[edit]

bait (plural bait-bait, first-person possessive baitku, second-person possessive baitmu, third-person possessive baitnya)

  1. house (abode)
  2. home (house or structure in which someone lives)
  3. (literature) couplet (a pair of lines in poetry)
    Synonyms: untai, kuplet

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Malay[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

bait (Jawi spelling بيت‎, plural bait-bait, informal 1st possessive baitku, 2nd possessive baitmu, 3rd possessive baitnya)

  1. house (abode)
  2. home (house or structure in which someone lives)
  3. (literature) couplet (a pair of lines in poetry)
Descendants[edit]
  • → Indonesian: bait

Etymology 2[edit]

From English byte.

Noun[edit]

bait (Jawi spelling باءيت‎, plural bait-bait, informal 1st possessive baitku, 2nd possessive baitmu, 3rd possessive baitnya)

  1. byte

Further reading[edit]

Marshallese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (phonetic) IPA(key): [pˠɑːitˠ], (enunciated) [pˠɑ itˠ]
  • (phonemic) IPA(key): /pˠæɰjitˠ/
  • Bender phonemes: {bahyit}

Noun[edit]

bait

  1. boxing

Verb[edit]

bait

  1. hit
  2. punch

References[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

bait

  1. Alternative form of bayte

Romanian[edit]

Noun[edit]

bait m (plural baiți)

  1. Alternative form of byte

Declension[edit]

Declension of bait
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) bait baitul (niște) baiți baiții
genitive/dative (unui) bait baitului (unor) baiți baiților
vocative baitule baiților

Tagalog[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bait. Compare Bikol Central buot, Cebuano buot, Malay baik, and Maori pai.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Hyphenation: ba‧it
  • IPA(key): /baˈʔit/, [bɐˈʔit]

Noun[edit]

baít (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜁᜆ᜔)

  1. kindness
    Synonyms: kabaitan, kabutihang-loob, kagandahang-loob
  2. senses; clear state of mind
    Synonyms: sentido, sentido-komun, huwisyo, isip
  3. prudence; cautiousness
    Synonyms: timpi, pigil
  4. docility; domesticity

Derived terms[edit]

Welsh[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Verb[edit]

bait

  1. (literary) second-person singular imperfect subjunctive of bod

Synonyms[edit]

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
bait fait mait unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
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