bite
[ bahyt ]
/ baɪt /
verb (used with object), bit, bit·ten or bit, bit·ing.
verb (used without object), bit, bit·ten or bit, bit·ing.
noun
Idioms for bite
Origin of bite
before 1000; Middle English
biten, Old English
bītan; cognate with Old High German
bīzan (German
beissen), Gothic
beitan, Old Norse
bīta; akin to Latin
findere to split
OTHER WORDS FROM bite
bit·a·ble, bite·a·ble, adjectiveWords nearby bite
British Dictionary definitions for bite off more than one can chew
bite
/ (baɪt) /
verb bites, biting, bit or bitten
noun
Derived forms of bite
biter, nounWord Origin for bite
Old English
bītan; related to Latin
findere to split, Sanskrit
bhedati he splits
Medical definitions for bite off more than one can chew
bite
[ bīt ]
v.
To cut, grip, or tear with the teeth.
To pierce the skin of with the teeth, fangs, or mouthparts.
n.
The act of biting.
A puncture or laceration of the skin by the teeth of an animal or the mouthparts of an insect or similar organism.
Idioms and Phrases with bite off more than one can chew (1 of 2)
bite off more than one can chew
Take on more work or a bigger task than one can handle, as in With two additional jobs, Bill is clearly biting off more than he can chew. Cautions against taking on too much appear in medieval sources, although this particular metaphor, alluding to taking in more food than one can chew, dates only from about 1870.
Idioms and Phrases with bite off more than one can chew (2 of 2)
bite