Bit

Noun

 * 1) A piece of metal placed in a horse's mouth and connected to reins to direct the animal.
 * 2) A rotary cutting tool fitted to a drill, used to make holes.
 * 3) 🇺🇸 An eighth of a dollar.  Note that there is no coin minted worth 12.5 cents. (When this term first came into use, the Spanish 8 reales coin was widely used as a dollar equivalent, and thus the 1 real coin was equivalent to 12.5 cents.)
 * A quarter is two bits.
 * 1)  A coin of a specified value. (Also used for a nine-pence coin in the British Caribbean.)
 * A threepenny bit.
 * 1) A small amount of something.
 * There were bits of paper all over the floor.
 * Does your leg still hurt? / Just a bit now.
 * 1) Specifically, a small amount of time.
 * 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.
 * 1)  A portion of something.
 * I'd like a big bit of cake, please.
 * 1)  A prison sentence.
 * 2) An excerpt of material from a composition or show.
 * His bit about video games was not nearly as entertaining as the other segments of his show.

Synonyms

 * coin, piece
 * morsel, piece, scrap
 * portion, share, segment
 * snaffle, pelham, kimberwicke

Derived terms

 * a bit
 * bit-banger
 * bit by bit
 * bit on the side
 * bit of rough
 * bit part
 * bit player
 * bits and bobs
 * bits and pieces
 * bitty
 * blown to bits
 * brace and bit


 * champ at the bit
 * chomp at the bit
 * do one's bit
 * fall to bits
 * itty-bitty
 * naughty bit
 * not a bit, not one bit
 * quite a bit
 * two-bit

Adverb

 * 1) To a small extent; in a small amount (usually with "a").
 * That's a bit too sweet.

Etymology 2
See bite

Verb
bit


 * Your dog bit me!
 * Your dog bit me!

Etymology 3
Coined by in 1946 as an abbreviation of binary digit:, probably influenced by connotations of “small portion”.   First used in print 1948 by. Compare byte: and nybble:.

Noun

 * 1)  A binary digit, generally represented as a 1 or 0.
 * 2)  The smallest unit of storage in a digital computer, consisting of a binary digit.
 * 3)  Any datum that may take on one of exactly two values.

Synonyms

 * b

Derived terms

 * bit-depth
 * bitwise
 * hidden bit
 * high-order bit
 * least significant bit
 * most significant bit


 * 8-bit
 * 16-bit
 * 32-bit
 * 64-bit
 * 128-bit