biter en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈbaɪtə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈbaɪtɚ/ (General-American)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From Middle English biter, bitere, equivalent to bite + -er. Cognate with West Frisian biter (“biter”), Dutch bijter (“biter”), German Low German Bieter (“biter”), German Beißer (“biter”).
Meanings
-
(agent, form-of) Agent noun of bite: someone or something who bites or tends to bite.
form of bite
My dislike was reinforced in 2016 when researchers discovered that more than three-quarters of the domestic boars and 40 per cent of wild boars they examined had bite injuries to their penises. The photos are horrific. Just who the biters were remains a mystery, but I think something goes wrong when a fundamentally herbivorous creature acquires a taste for flesh.
2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 87:Careful—She's a biter!
Not all dogs are biters.
-
A fish that tends to take bait.
She tried the same cast several times. I signaled her to switch flies. After two such changes we still couldn't move the fish. Some steelhead are biters; some are not.
2007, John Shewey, On the Fly Guide to the Northwest, page 79:
-
(figuratively) A person who takes up an offer or request.
I put up some fliers for the org but didn't get any biters
- A stone that barely touches the outside of the house.
- (slang) One who copies someone else's work, style or techniques, especially in hip-hop.
- (obsolete) A cheat or fraudster.
- A zombie.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| biters | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
neckbiter · tyre biter · back biter · wart-biter · nail-biter · pillow-biter · toe biter · ankle-biter · backbiter · cross-biter · nail biter · pillar-biter · the biter bit · ankle biter · night biter · leg biter · ox-biter · sheep-biter · day-biter · night-biter · crib-biter · toe-biter