|
Bit - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
|
Bit : (noun)
1: a small quantity; "a spot of tea"; "a bit of paper" [syn: spot]
2: a small fragment of something broken off from the whole; "a
bit of rock caught him in the eye" [syn: chip, flake,
fleck, scrap]
3: an indefinitely short time; "wait just a moment"; "it only
takes a minute"; "in just a bit" [syn: moment, minute,
second]
4: an instance of some kind; "it was a nice piece of work"; "he
had a bit of good luck" [syn: piece]
5: piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to
control the horse while riding; "the horse was not
accustomed to a bit"
6: a unit of measurement of information (from Binary _ digIT);
the amount of information in a system having two
equiprobable states; "there are 8 bits in a byte"
7: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left
was a bit of bread" [syn: morsel, bite]
8: a small fragment; "overheard snatches of their conversation"
[syn: snatch]
9: a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer
program; "he did his act three times every evening"; "she
had a catchy little routine"; "it was one of the best
numbers he ever did" [syn: act, routine, number, turn]
10: the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded
and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press;
"he looked around for the right size bit"
Based on WordNet 2.0
|
|
Bit : \Bit\, n.
In the British West Indies, a fourpenny piece, or groat.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bit : \Bit\,
3d sing. pr. of Bid, for biddeth. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bit : \Bit\, n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. b[=i]tan to
bite. See Bite, n. & v., and cf. Bit a morsel.]
1. The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted
in the mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which
the reins are fastened. --Shak.
The foamy bridle with the bit of gold. --Chaucer.
2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bit : \Bit\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bitted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bitting.]
To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bit : \Bit\,
imp. & p. p. of Bite.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bit : \Bit\, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. b[=i]tan to bite; akin to
D. beet, G. bissen bit, morsel, Icel. biti. See Bite, v.,
and cf. Bit part of a bridle.]
1. A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken
into the mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of
anything; a little; a mite.
2. Somewhat; something, but not very great.
My young companion was a bit of a poet. --T. Hook.
Note: This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express
the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.
3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually
turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock.
4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the
bolt and tumblers. --Knight.
5. The cutting iron of a plane. --Knight.
6. In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver
coin (as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth
about 12 1/2 cents; also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents.
Bit my bit, piecemeal. --Pope.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bite \Bite\, v. t. [imp. Bit; p. p. Bitten, Bit; p. pr. &
vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. b[=i]tan; akin to D.
bijten, OS. b[=i]tan, OHG. b[=i]zan, G. beissen, Goth.
beitan, Icel. b[=i]ta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to
cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. [root]87. Cf. Fissure.]
1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the
thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth;
as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dogBit : a man.
Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite
the holy cords atwain. --Shak.
2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some
insects) used in taking food.
3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure,
in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the
mouth. ``Frosts do bite the meads.'' --Shak.
4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] --Pope.
5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the
anchor bites the ground.
The last screw of the rack having been turned so
often that its purchase crumbled, . . . it turned
and turned with nothing to bite. --Dickens.
To bite the dust, To bite the ground, to fall in the
agonies of death; as, he made his enemy bite the dust.
To bite in (Etching), to corrode or eat into metallic
plates by means of an acid.
To bite the thumb at (any one), formerly a mark of
contempt, designed to provoke a quarrel; to defy. ``Do you
bite your thumb at us?'' --Shak.
To bite the tongue, to keep silence. --Shak.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Bit :
(b) binary digit.
The unit of information; the amount of information obtained by
asking a yes-or-no question; a computational quantity that can
take on one of two values, such as false and true or 0 and 1;
the smallest unit of storage - sufficient to hold one bit.
A bit is said to be "set" if its value is true or 1, and
"reset" or "clear" if its value is false or 0. One speaks of
setting and clearing bits. To toggle or "invert" a bit is
to change it, either from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.
The term "bit" first appeared in print in the computer-science
sense in 1949, and seems to have been coined by the eminent
statistician, John Tukey. Tukey records that it evolved
over a lunch table as a handier alternative to "bigit" or
"binit".
See also flag, trit, mode bit, byte, word.
[{Jargon File]
(2002-01-22)
Based on the Online Dictionary of Computing [Computer_Dictionary]:
|
|
Bit : Basic Interconnection Test (ISO 9646-1)
Based on Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) [Acronyms_Dictionary]:
|
|
Bit : Binary digIT
Based on Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) [Acronyms_Dictionary]:
|
|
Bit : n. [from the mainstream meaning and `Binary digIT'] 1. [techspeak]
The unit of information; the amount of information obtained by asking a
yes-or-no question for which the two outcomes are equally probable. 2.
[techspeak] A computational quantity that can take on one of two values,
such as true and false or 0 and 1. 3. A mental flag: a reminder that
something should be done eventually. "I have a bit set for you." (I
haven't seen you for a while, and I'm supposed to tell or ask you
something.) 4. More generally, a (possibly incorrect) mental state of
belief. "I have a bit set that says that you were the last guy to hack
on EMACS." (Meaning "I think you were the last guy to hack on EMACS, and
what I am about to say is predicated on this, so please stop me if this
isn't true.")
"I just need one bit from you" is a polite way of indicating that you
intend only a short interruption for a question that can presumably be
answered yes or no.
A bit is said to be `set' if its value is true or 1, and `reset' or
`clear' if its value is false or 0. One speaks of setting and clearing
bits. To toggle or `invert' a bit is to change it, either from 0 to 1
or from 1 to 0. See also flag, trit, mode bit.
The term `bit' first appeared in print in the computer-science sense
in a 1948 paper by information theorist Claude Shannon, and was there
credited to the early computer scientist John Tukey (who also seems to
have coined the term `software'). Tukey records that `bit' evolved over
a lunch table as a handier alternative to `bigit' or `binit', at a
conference in the winter of 1943-44.
Based on Jargon File : [Hackers_Dictionary]:
|
|
Bit : the curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them. The
Hebrew word (metheg) so rendered in Ps. 32:9 is elsewhere
translated "bridle" (2 Kings 19:28; Prov. 26:3; Isa. 37:29).
Bits were generally made of bronze or iron, but sometimes also
of gold or silver. In James 3:3 the Authorized Version
translates the Greek word by "bits," but the Revised Version by
"bridles."
Based on Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [Hackers_Dictionary]:
|
|
|
|
Example Usage of Bit |
 |
mickdane: Unfortunately I have to work a Bit today but not all day :-) |
 |
CyberManin: For weak and for strong If you want it - http://Bit.ly/8u4qI7 #xmas ___,,,¸_ ‹(•¿•)›_¸,,,___________________________ |
 |
realaddin: I unlocked "Feeling The Pain" in "MeowWalker"! http://Bit.ly/8ArYJ1 |
|
|
