bait
/beɪt/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms baits baiting baited baiter baitest b8
- noun Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net. “attach bait to a hook”
- noun Food containing poison or a harmful additive to kill animals that are pests.
- noun Anything which allures; something or someone used to lure or entice someone or something into doing something.
- noun (as the head of a compound) Something that lures or entices a specified group. “queerbait”
- noun (vulgar, sexuality) Someone that attracts or entices a specified sex act being done to them. “somno bait”
- noun A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.
- noun (Geordie, Durham) A packed lunch - the bite to eat a worker took with them to eat.
- noun (East Anglia) A small meal taken mid-morning while farming.
- verb (transitive) To attract with bait; to entice.
- verb (transitive) To affix bait to a trap or a fishing hook or fishing line.
- verb (transitive) To lay baits in an environment to control pest species.
- verb (transitive) To target a pest species by laying baits.
- verb (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”
- verb (transitive) To intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass.
- verb (transitive, archaic) To feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.
- verb (intransitive) Of a horse or other animal: to take food, especially during a journey.
- verb (intransitive) (of a person) To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment during a journey.
- verb (obsolete, intransitive) To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey.
- adjective (MLE) Obvious; blatant.
- adjective (MLE) Well-known; famous; renowned.
Synonyms
badger hound bedevil beleaguer persecute dog bullyrag besiege bug devil beset chevy give someone grief harass harry pester pick at plague vex apparent come-on hook lure sweetener decoy tease razz rag cod tantalize
Etymology
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”), Old English bāt (“that which can be bitten, food, bait”). Related to bite.
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”).
French battre de l'aile or des ailes, to flap or flutter.
Etymology unknown.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.
- noun Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation. Fairfax.
- verb To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.
- verb To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses. Holland.
Etymology [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. bat food, Sw. bete. See Bait, v. i.]
Etymology [OE. baiten, beit, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig. to cause to bite, fr. bita. sq. root87. See Bite.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bait”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details