# bit
## English
### Pronunciation

* enPR: bĭt, IPA: /bɪt/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪt

### 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.
Cognate with West Frisian bit, Saterland Frisian Bit, Dutch bit, German Low German Beet, Biet, German Biss and Bissen, Danish bid, Swedish bit, Icelandic biti.

#### 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 horse hates having a bit put in its mouth.
* A rotary cutting tool fitted to a drill, used to bore holes.
* Applied to a various small units of currency and coins.
    Synonyms: coin, piece
** (dated, British) A coin of a specified value.
    a threepenny bit
** (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.
    A quarter is two bits.
*** 1966 March, Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, published November 1976, →ISBN, page 16:He left after shaking her down for four bits for carrying the bags.
** (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.
*** 1941, Emily Carr, chapter 10, in Klee Wyck‎:The smallest coin we had in Canada in early days was a dime, worth ten cents. The Indians called this coin “a Bit”. Our next coin, double in buying power and in size, was a twenty-five cent piece and this the Indians called “Two Bits”.
** (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.
*** 1789, Olaudah Equiano, chapter 6, in The Interesting Narrative, volume I:I trusted to the Lord to be with me; and at one of our trips to St. Eustatia, a Dutch island, I bought a glass tumbler with my half bit, and when I came to Montserrat I sold it for a bit, or sixpence.
** (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
    There were bits of paper all over the floor.
    Does your leg still hurt? —Just a bit now.
    I've done my bit; I expect you to do yours.
** 1963, Margery Allingham, “The Beanspiller”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 186:‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’
* (informal) Specifically, a small amount of time.
    Synonyms: instant, jiffy, tick; see also Thesaurus:moment
    Antonyms: age, (US) while; see also Thesaurus:eon
    I'll be there in a bit; I need to take care of something first.
    He was here just a bit ago, but it looks like he's stepped out.
* (informal) A small fraction above a whole number.
    The movie lasted for two and a bit hours.
* (in the plural, informal, sports) Fractions of a second.
    Synonym: split-second
    The 400 metres race was won in 47 seconds and bits.
* A portion of something.
    Synonyms: portion, share, segment; see also Thesaurus:piece
    I'd like a big bit of cake, please.
** 2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist:Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. […] A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale.
* Somewhat; something, but not very great; also used like jot and whit to express the smallest degree. See also a bit.
    Am I bored? Not a bit of it!
** 1835', Theodore Hook, Gilbert Gurney
    My young companion was a bit of a poet.
* (slang) A prison sentence, especially a short one.
    Synonym: bid
** 1904, The Anamosa prison press, volume 7, Iowa. Colony of Detention at Anamosa:Had it not been for the influence of Mrs. Booth and Hope Hall I should still be grafting or doing a bit in some stir
** 1916, Thomas Mott Osborne. Warden, Sing Sing Prison, N. Y., “Prison Reform”, in The Journal of sociologic medicine, volume 17, page 407:Before doing that I am going to tell you what was the result of my own incarceration, because I presume it may not be a secret to you, that I have done a "bit" myself, not the "bit" which the prosecuting attorney was so anxious to have me do.
** 1994, Odie Hawkins, Lost Angeles, page 158:Chino didn't make me think of Dachau or that notorious joint in Angola, Louisiana, where a brother who had done a bit there told me how they used to cut the grass on the front lawn with their fingernails.
** 2001, Andrew H. Vachss, Pain management:Not counting the days—that's okay for a county-time slap, but it'll make you crazy if you've got years to go on a felony bit.
* An excerpt of material making up part of a show, comedy routine, etc.
    His bit about video games was not nearly as entertaining as the other segments of his show.
* (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
    Are you serious, or is this a bit?
** 2024 March 1, F1NN5TER, 3:36 from the start, in Coming Out‎, archived from the original on 14 May 2024:Also, I'm bi. I like dudes! ...That's weird to say. Everything I say feels like a bit now, god dammit.
* Short for bit part.
    She acted her bit in the opening scene.
* 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
** 2013 December 23, Stephen Reynolds, 46:53 from the start, in Stephen Reynolds, director, Vendetta (film), spoken by Jimmy Vickers (Danny Dyer):Jimmy: I need to get my hands on some bits. If you’re still in the business. Ronnie (played by Nick Nevern): Oi! Trojan (played by Jean-Paul Van Cauwelaert): Ronnie. […] Trojan: Now that is a SIG Sauer P226.

##### Derived terms

* a bit
* a fair bit
* a little bit
* a little bit of bread and no cheese
* a lot of bit
* behind the bit
* bergy bit
* bit and bit
* bit-banger
* bit between one's teeth
* bit-bucket
* bit bucket
* bit by bit
* bit-faker
* bitless
* bit lifter
* bitling
* bit of all right
* bit of alright
* bit of crumpet
* bit of fluff
* bit of homework
* bit of muslin
* bit of rough
* bit of skirt
* bit of stuff
* bit on the side
* bit part
* bit player
* bit role
* bits and bobs
* bits and pieces
* bit shank
* bitstock
* bittock
* bitty
* blind bit
* blown to bits
* brace and bit
* cannon bit
* canon bit
* centerbit
* centre-bit
* centrebit
* chafe at the bit
* champ at the bit
* chicken bit
* chomp at the bit
* commit to the bit
* curb bit
* curb-bit
* devil's bit
* dogbit
* dog's dangly bits
* do one's bit
* drag bit
* every bit
* every little bit helps
* fall to bits
* fippenny bit
* Forstner bit
* frogbit
* German bit
* gouge bit
* hair of the dog that bit one
* itty-bitty
* key bit
* lip bit
* little bit
* Liverpool bit
* long bit
* marbit
* masterbit
* modesty bit
* naughty bit
* nose bit
* not a bit, not one bit
* not a bit of it
* picky bits
* pod bit
* quill bit
* quite a bit
* rearing bit
* rebit
* rollercone bit
* roller-cone bit
* roller cone bit
* rose bit
* sheep's-bit
* short bit
* sixpenny bit
* threepenny bit
* threepenny-bit
* tidbit
* Timbit
* time after bit
* tit bit
* tongue-lolling bit
* two-bit
* unbit
* wait-a-bit
* weather-bit

##### Related terms

* bits (“genitals”)

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § 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

* ↑ Edward H[enry] Knight (1877) “Bit”, in Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary. […], volumes I (A–GAS), New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton […], →OCLC.
* ↑ Edward H[enry] Knight (1877) “Bit”, in Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary. […], volumes I (A–GAS), New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton […], →OCLC.

### Etymology 2

See bite

#### Verb

bit
* simple past of bite
    Your dog bit me!
* (informal in US, archaic in UK) past participle of bite, bitten
    I have been bit by your dog!

#### Adjective

bit (not comparable)
* (chiefly in combination) Having been bitten.
    Even though he's bit, of course the zombies would still chase him.
** 1984 July, Field & Stream, volume 89, number 3, page 24:Fortunately, someone who gets skeeter-bit this much may develop an immunity to the skeeter's saliva
** 1992, Robert Lewis Taylor, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters‎:Only the year before, the conjure man had brought in the Jackson County madstone, from way over in Illinois, for a white peddler that had been dog-bit, and the man went ahead and died just the same
** 1998, Adele Griffin, Rainy Season‎, page 121:He will not — he'll tell you not to be loco, climbing up trees late at night when you'll get bug-bit to death plus you can't see anything

##### Derived terms

* dogbit
* snakebit

### 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.
    status bits on IRC
    permission bits in a file system
* (information theory) A unit of measure for information entropy.
** 2011 May 17, Lisa Grossman, “Entropy Is Universal Rule of Language”, in Wired Science‎, retrieved 2012-09-26:The researchers found that the original texts spanned a variety of entropy values in different languages, reflecting differences in grammar and structure. But strangely, the difference in entropy between the original, ordered text and the randomly scrambled text was constant across languages. This difference is a way to measure the amount of information encoded in word order, Montemurro says. The amount of information lost when they scrambled the text was about 3.5 bits per word.
* A microbitcoin, or a millionth of a bitcoin (0.000001 BTC).

##### Hyponyms

* hidden bit
* high-order bit
* least significant bit
* most significant bit
* qubit

##### Derived terms

* 128-bit
* 16-bit
* 32-bit
* 64-bit
* 7-bit
* 8-bit
* ancilla bit
* bitarray
* bit array
* bit banging
* bit bashing
* bitboard
* bitcent
* bit-compressed
* bit-count integrity
* bit crusher
* bit decay
* bit-depth
* bit depth
* biter
* bitfield
* bitfilter
* bitflag
* bitflip
* bit interval
* bitlength
* bitline
* bit map
* bitmap
* bit-map
* bitmask
* bitness
* bit nibbler
* bitplane
* bit plane
* bitpop
* bitrange
* bitrate
* bit rate
* bit rot
* bitrot
* bitscore
* bitset
* bit shift
* bit slice
* bitsquatting
* bitstate
* bitstream
* bitstring
* bit string
* bit stuffing
* bitter
* bit time
* BitTorrent
* bitvector
* bitwidth
* bitwise
* bucky bit
* fakebit
* gibibit
* great bit bucket in the sky
* high bit
* high order bit
* interbit
* kibibit
* killbit
* mebibit
* multibit
* parity bit
* pebibit
* quadbit
* quantum bit
* quettabit
* ronnabit
* sign bit
* sticky bit
* tebibit

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

##### See also

* ban, nat, qubit

#### References

* ↑ “Six Receive Honorary Degrees at Princeton Commencement”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, (Can we date this quote?), archived from the original on 2002-02-09
* ↑ (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, 2007 March 23 (last accessed), archived from the original on 3 March 2007
* ↑ Claude Shannon (1948 July) “A Mathematical Theory of Communication”, in The Bell System Technical Journal, →DOI

### Anagrams

* Bti, ITB, TBI, TiB, tib

## Azerbaijani
### Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [bit]
* Audio (Baku):(file)

### Noun

bit (definite accusative biti, plural bitlər)
* louse

#### Declension
## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbit]
* Rhymes: -it

### Noun

bit m (plural bits)
* (computing) bit

## Czech
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈbɪt]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪt
* Homophone: byt

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from English bit, from binary digit.

#### Noun

bit m inan
* (computing) bit

##### Derived terms

* bitový
* gigabit
* kilobit
* megabit
* osmibitový
* šestnáctibitový
* terabit

### 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: /bɪt/
* Audio:(file)
* 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: /bit/
* Audio:(file)

### 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: [ˈbit]
* Hyphenation: bit
* Rhymes: -it

### Noun

bit (plural bitek)
* (computing) bit (binary digit)

#### Derived terms

* jelzőbit

### References

* ↑ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

### 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: /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)
* Beta vulgaris, common beet, beetroot, sugar beet, and chard

##### Derived terms

* bit gula
* bit swiss

### 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, 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: /ˈbit/
* Rhymes: -it
* Hyphenation: bìt

### Noun

bit m (invariable)
* (computing) bit, smallest unit of storage.

### References

* ↑ bit in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Juba Arabic
### Etymology

From Sudanese Arabic بت (bitt), from Arabic بِنْت (bint).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbit/, [ˈbit]

### Noun

bit (plural banaat)
* daughter
* girl

#### Synonyms

* biniiya

### References

* Ian Smith, Morris Timothy Ama (1985) A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎, 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

| Perso-Arabic | Perso-Arabic | بیت |

### Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [bɪt], [bi(ˑ)t], [biːt]
* (Xarrâbî) IPA: [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: /bʲit/

### Verb

bit
* supine of biś

## 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: /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: /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: /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: /biːt/

#### Verb

bit
* inflection of bite:
** present
** imperative

### References

* “bit” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Old English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbiː.ten.ne/

### Verb

bīt
* imperative singular of bītan

## Old Irish
### Verb

bit
* third-person plural future of is

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbit/
* Audio:(file)
* 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

##### Related terms

* bitmapowy
* bitmapa

### 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

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈbi.t͡ʃi/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈbi.t͡ʃi/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈbi.te/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈbi.tɨ/

### 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)

## 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: /bɪt/
* Hyphenation: bit
* Rhymes: -ɪt

### Conjunction

bit
* until

### Preposition

bit
* until, to

#### Derived terms

* bit tou

### References

* Marron C. Fort (2015) “bit”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

## Scots
### Adjective

bit
* Little.
** 1889, Jessup Whitehead, The Steward's Handbook and Guide to Party Catering, page 439:A bit wee lambie(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:He laid a hundred guineas with the laird of Slofferfield that he would drive four horses through the Slofferfield loch, and in the prank he had his bit chariot dung to pieces and a good mare killed.(please add an English translation of this quotation)

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology 1

From bȉti (“to be”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bîːt/

#### Noun

bȋt f (Cyrillic spelling би̑т)
* essence
* point, meaning

##### Declension
#### Further reading

* “bit”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

### Etymology 2

From English bit.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bît/

#### Noun

bȉt m (Cyrillic spelling би̏т)
* (computing) bit

##### Declension
#### Further reading

* “bit”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

## 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: /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, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Etymology 1

From Old Norse biti.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /biːt/
* Audio (Gotland):(file)
* Rhymes: -iːt

#### Noun

bit c
* a piece (forming a part of some whole)
    en pusselbita puzzle piece
    en tårtbit / en bit tårta [note that there is no preposition]a piece of cake (not an idiom in Swedish – see lätt som en plätt)
    Jag åt tre bitar McNuggetsI ate three pieces of McNuggets
    Koppen föll i golvet och gick i tusen bitarThe cup fell to the floor and broke [went] into a thousand pieces
    torskfilé i bitarcod fillet cut into pieces
** a bit
    Actionhjälten sprängde skurkarna i bitarThe action hero blew the bad guys to pieces/bits
* a bit (certain (not insignificant) distance)
    Den ligger en bit väster om bynIt lies a bit west of the village
    Huset ligger en bit längre framThe house is a bit further ahead
    Det simmar en svan en bit ut på sjönThere is a swan swimming a bit out on the lake
    Vi följde med henne en bit på vägenWe accompanied her part of the way [We followed with her a bit on the way (to where she was going)]
    Det är en bra bit till SäffleIt's quite a drive to Säffle ["It is a good bit to Säffle" – "bra bit" is a common collocation]
    Ta på dig vandringskängorna. Det är en bit att gå.Put on your hiking boots. It's a bit of a walk [a bit (implied long) to walk].
** way, ways, distance (when more idiomatic)
** (figuratively) a bit (of time)
    Vi planerar att skaffa katt en bit längre fram [can also be expressed as "lite längre fram"]We're planning to get a cat a bit later on ["further ahead" (longer forth) – still thought of as a distance]
* a tune, a piece (song)
    Synonyms: låt, sång
    en svängig bita swinging tune

##### Usage notes

Del (“part”) is often more idiomatic when piece is interchangeable with part.

##### 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: /bɪt/
* Rhymes: -ɪt

#### Noun

bit c
* (computing) a bit
    ett 64-bitars operativsystema 64-bit [bits'] operating system

##### Declension
### Etymology 3
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /biːt/
* Rhymes: -iːt

#### Verb

bit
* imperative of bita

### References

* bit in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* bit in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* bit in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

## Turkish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbit/

### Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish بیت, بت, from Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”).

#### Noun

bit (definite accusative biti, plural bitler)
* (zoology) louse
* Ellipsis of bitpazarı (“flea market”).
    Hırkam, ee, bitten.My cardigan, I bought it from uh... flea market.

##### Declension

singular
plural
nominative
bit
bitler
definite accusative
biti
bitleri
dative
bite
bitlere
locative
bitte
bitlerde
ablative
bitten
bitlerden
genitive
bitin
bitlerin
Possessive forms
nominative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitim
bitlerim
2nd singular
bitin
bitlerin
3rd singular
biti
bitleri
1st plural
bitimiz
bitlerimiz
2nd plural
bitiniz
bitleriniz
3rd plural
bitleri
bitleri
definite accusative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimi
bitlerimi
2nd singular
bitini
bitlerini
3rd singular
bitini
bitlerini
1st plural
bitimizi
bitlerimizi
2nd plural
bitinizi
bitlerinizi
3rd plural
bitlerini
bitlerini
dative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitime
bitlerime
2nd singular
bitine
bitlerine
3rd singular
bitine
bitlerine
1st plural
bitimize
bitlerimize
2nd plural
bitinize
bitlerinize
3rd plural
bitlerine
bitlerine
locative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimde
bitlerimde
2nd singular
bitinde
bitlerinde
3rd singular
bitinde
bitlerinde
1st plural
bitimizde
bitlerimizde
2nd plural
bitinizde
bitlerinizde
3rd plural
bitlerinde
bitlerinde
ablative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimden
bitlerimden
2nd singular
bitinden
bitlerinden
3rd singular
bitinden
bitlerinden
1st plural
bitimizden
bitlerimizden
2nd plural
bitinizden
bitlerinizden
3rd plural
bitlerinden
bitlerinden
genitive
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimin
bitlerimin
2nd singular
bitinin
bitlerinin
3rd singular
bitinin
bitlerinin
1st plural
bitimizin
bitlerimizin
2nd plural
bitinizin
bitlerinizin
3rd plural
bitlerinin
bitlerinin
Predicative forms
singular
plural
1st singular
bitim
bitlerim
2nd singular
bitsin
bitlersin
3rd singular
bit bittir
bitler bitlerdir
1st plural
bitiz
bitleriz
2nd plural
bitsiniz
bitlersiniz
3rd plural
bitler
bitlerdir :

##### Derived terms

* bit yeniği (fishy)
* bitli (lousy)

##### See also

* pire (flea)

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bit, abbreviation of binary digit.

#### Noun

bit (definite accusative biti, plural bitler)
* (computing) bit

##### Declension

singular
plural
nominative
bit
bitler
definite accusative
biti
bitleri
dative
bite
bitlere
locative
bitte
bitlerde
ablative
bitten
bitlerden
genitive
bitin
bitlerin
Possessive forms
nominative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitim
bitlerim
2nd singular
bitin
bitlerin
3rd singular
biti
bitleri
1st plural
bitimiz
bitlerimiz
2nd plural
bitiniz
bitleriniz
3rd plural
bitleri
bitleri
definite accusative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimi
bitlerimi
2nd singular
bitini
bitlerini
3rd singular
bitini
bitlerini
1st plural
bitimizi
bitlerimizi
2nd plural
bitinizi
bitlerinizi
3rd plural
bitlerini
bitlerini
dative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitime
bitlerime
2nd singular
bitine
bitlerine
3rd singular
bitine
bitlerine
1st plural
bitimize
bitlerimize
2nd plural
bitinize
bitlerinize
3rd plural
bitlerine
bitlerine
locative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimde
bitlerimde
2nd singular
bitinde
bitlerinde
3rd singular
bitinde
bitlerinde
1st plural
bitimizde
bitlerimizde
2nd plural
bitinizde
bitlerinizde
3rd plural
bitlerinde
bitlerinde
ablative
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimden
bitlerimden
2nd singular
bitinden
bitlerinden
3rd singular
bitinden
bitlerinden
1st plural
bitimizden
bitlerimizden
2nd plural
bitinizden
bitlerinizden
3rd plural
bitlerinden
bitlerinden
genitive
singular
plural
1st singular
bitimin
bitlerimin
2nd singular
bitinin
bitlerinin
3rd singular
bitinin
bitlerinin
1st plural
bitimizin
bitlerimizin
2nd plural
bitinizin
bitlerinizin
3rd plural
bitlerinin
bitlerinin
Predicative forms
singular
plural
1st singular
bitim
bitlerim
2nd singular
bitsin
bitlersin
3rd singular
bit bittir
bitler bitlerdir
1st plural
bitiz
bitleriz
2nd plural
bitsiniz
bitlersiniz
3rd plural
bitler
bitlerdir :

### Etymology 3
#### Verb

bit
* second-person singular imperative of bitmek

## Turkmen
### Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bït (“louse”). Cognate with Old Turkic [script needed] (bit), Turkish bit (“louse”), etc.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bit̪/

### Noun

bit (definite accusative bidi, plural bitler)
* (zoology) louse

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “bit” in Enedilim.com

## Vietnamese
### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [ʔɓit̚˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [ʔɓit̚˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [ʔɓɨt̚˧˧]
* Audio (Saigon):(file)

### Noun

bit
* (computing) bit

## Zhuang
### Pronunciation

* (Standard Zhuang) IPA: /pit˥/
* Tone numbers: bit$^7$
* 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 or 𱈶 or ⿰品鳥, 1957–1982 spelling bit)
* duck

##### Derived terms

* roegbit

### Etymology 2

From Chinese 筆 (MC pit).

#### Noun

bit (classifier gaiq, Sawndip forms 𣭈 or 𰚎, 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

* ↑ Pittayaporn, Pittayawat (2009) The Phonology of Proto-Tai (Doctoral dissertation)‎, Department of Linguistics, Cornell University , page 327
* 1 2 3 4 5 Zhang, Junru (张 均如); et al. (1999) 壮语方言研究 [A Study of Zhuang Dialects] (in Chinese), Chengdu: Sichuan Ethnic Publishing House (四川民族出版社), page 615
* 1 2 3 4 5 古壮字字典 [Dictionary of Old Zhuang Characters] (in Chinese), Guangxi: Ethnic Publishing House (广西民族出版社), 2012, →ISBN