Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Bit \Bit\, n.
   In the British West Indies, a fourpenny piece, or groat.

Bit \Bit\,
   3d sing. pr. of {Bid}, for biddeth. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

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.

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.

Bit \Bit\,
   imp. & p. p. of {Bite}.

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.

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 dog bit 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.

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 dog bit 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.

Source : WordNet®

bite
     n 1: a wound resulting from biting by an animal or a person
     2: a small amount of solid food; a mouthful; "all they had left
        was a bit of bread" [syn: {morsel}, {bit}]
     3: a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger
        into skin [syn: {sting}, {insect bite}]
     4: a light informal meal [syn: {collation}, {snack}]
     5: (angling) an instance of a fish taking the bait; "after
        fishing for an hour he still had not had a bite"
     6: wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with
        typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" [syn: {pungency}]
     7: a strong odor or taste property; "the pungency of mustard";
        "the sulfurous bite of garlic"; "the sharpness of strange
        spices" [syn: {pungency}, {sharpness}]
     8: the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws
        [syn: {chomp}]
     9: a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly
        bite from my paycheck"
     [also: {bitten}, {bit}]

bite
     v 1: to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or
          jaws; "Gunny invariably tried to bite her" [syn: {seize
          with teeth}]
     2: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun
        burned his face" [syn: {sting}, {burn}]
     3: penetrate or cut, as with a knife; "The fork bit into the
        surface"
     4: deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday" [syn: {sting},
         {prick}]
     [also: {bitten}, {bit}]

bit
     n 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"
     [also: {bitting}, {bitted}]

bit
     See {bite}
     [also: {bitting}, {bitted}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

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)