bitter

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

bitter

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtə(ɹ)/, , (colloquially also)
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtɚ/,
• Hyphenation: bit‧ter

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)
• Homophone: bidder (in some dialects)

Etymology 1

From Middle English bitter, bittre, from Old English bitter, biter (“bitter”), from Proto-West Germanic *bit(t)r, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz (“bitter”), equivalent to bite +‎ -er (agent noun suffix) used attributively. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bitter, West Frisian bitter, Low German bitter, Dutch bitter, German bitter, Swedish bitter, Icelandic bitur (all meaning “bitter”).

Adjective

bitter (comparative more bitter or bitterer, superlative most bitter or bitterest)

1. Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).

   The coffee tasted bitter.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth […].

   • 2018 May 16, Adam Rogers, “The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel”, in Wired:

     A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades.

2. Harsh, piercing or stinging.
   • 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, p.31 (Perennial paperback edition)

     It was at the end of February, when the world was cold, and a bitter wind howled down the moors .

3. Hateful or hostile.

   They're bitter enemies.

   • 2022 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Gunners show identity & direction in outstanding derby win”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Tottenham have not won in the Premier League at Emirates Stadium for 12 years, with Arsenal losing just one of their last 29 home league games against their bitter rivals.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A Millar, , →OCLC:

     He inveighed against the folly of making oneself liable for the debts of others; vented many bitter execrations against the brother; and concluded with wishing something could be done for the unfortunate family.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Colossians 3:19:

     Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

4. Cynical and resentful.

   I've been bitter ever since that defeat.

Usage notes

• The one-word compared forms bitterer, bitterest are less common than their two-word counterparts more bitter and most bitter.

Synonyms

• (cynical and resentful): jaded

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "cynical and resentful"): optimistic

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: bita

Translations

See also

• bitter end

Noun

bitter (countable and uncountable, plural bitters)

1. (usually in the plural bitters) A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.
   • 1773, Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer:

     Thus I begin: "All is not gold that glitters,
     "Pleasure seems sweet, but proves a glass of bitters.

2. A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.
3. (nautical) A turn of a cable about the bitts.

Synonyms

• (beer): English pale ale, EPA

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Basic tastes in English (layout · text)
sweet	sour	salty	bitter	spicy	savory

Verb

bitter (third-person singular simple present bitters, present participle bittering, simple past and past participle bittered)

1. To make bitter.
   • 1766, John Wilkinson, Tutamen Nauticum:

     bittered with the hop

Translations

Etymology 2

bit +‎ -er

Noun

bitter (plural bitters)

1. (computing, informal, in combination) A hardware system whose architecture is based around units of the specified number of bits (binary digits).
   • 1983, Computerworld, volume 17, number 49, page 21:

     However, 16-bitters are far more expensive than the 8-bit variety. And, unfortunately, have only a handful of business applications software packages that really take advantage of them.

   • 1984, Electronic Business, volume 10, page 154:

     The company believes that the 32-bit market will almost equal that of 16-bitters by the end of the decade. Chip maker Zilog Inc., not a major player in the 16-bit arena, is even more bullish about 32-bitters as it readies its own version for market.

Afrikaans

Etymology

Inherited from Dutch bitter, from Middle Dutch bitter, from Old Dutch bitter, from Proto-West Germanic *bit(t)r, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbətər/

Adjective

bitter (attributive bitter or bittere, comparative bitterder, superlative bitterste)

1. bitter (having an acrid taste)
2. very

Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German bitter.

Adjective

bitter

1. bitter (all meanings)

Inflection

Related terms

• bitterhed
• forbitret

Noun

bitter c (singular definite bitteren, plural indefinite bittere)

1. bitter (the liquid used in drinks)
2. A bitter form of an aquavit

Inflection

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bitter.

Noun

bitter c

1. bitter (type of beer - only known generally in Denmark for a few years)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch bitter, from Old Dutch bitter, from Proto-West Germanic *bit(t)r, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtər/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bit‧ter
• Rhymes: -ɪtər

Adjective

bitter (comparative bitterder, superlative bitterst)

1. bitter (having an acrid taste)
2. bitter, embittered

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: bitter
• Negerhollands: bitter, better, bitu
• → Caribbean Hindustani: bitá
• → Saramaccan: bíta
• → Sranan Tongo: bita

See also

• (tastes) smaak; bitter, zoet, zout, zuur ^{(Category: nl:Taste)}

Noun

bitter m or n (plural bitters, diminutive bittertje n)

1. bitters, a type of strong spirits made by steeping (often bitter) herbs in brandy or jenever, traditionally considered a digestive drink.

   Synonym: kruidenbitter

   Zonder zijn gebruikelijke bittertje om vier uur voelde Opa zich niet lekker. ― Without his regular shot of bitter at four o'clock, Grandpa wouldn't feel well.

Usage notes

When used in a countable sense (a serving of bitter), the diminutive is the usual form.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: bitter
• → Caribbean Hindustani: bitá
• → Catalan: bíter
• → Papiamentu: beter, bitter
• → Saramaccan: bíta
• → Sranan Tongo: bita

Further reading

• The article Bitters on Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

From English bitter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbiter/,
• IPA^(key): /ˈbitːer/,
• Rhymes: -itːer
• Syllabification^(key): bit‧ter

Noun

bitter

1. bitter (type of beer)

Declension

Further reading

• “bitter”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi.te/

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

bitter

1. (transitive, slang) to understand, usually used in negative form and especially with rien

   Synonym: comprendre

   J’ai rien bitté au cours.

   I got nothing of the class

Conjugation

Further reading

• “bitter”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bitter, pitter, from Old High German bittar, from Proto-West Germanic *bit(t)r, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz. Compare Low German bitter, Dutch bitter, English bitter, Swedish bitter, Icelandic bitur.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪ.tɐ/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

entry lacks contracted forms like ''bittren=bitteren, bittrer = bitterer, bittrere = bitterere''

	A user suggests that this German entry be cleaned up.
	Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup(+) or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

bitter (strong nominative masculine singular bitterer, comparative bitterer, superlative am bittersten)

1. bitter

Declension

Coordinate terms

• (tastes) Geschmack; bitter, salzig, sauer, süß ^{(Category: de:Taste)}

Derived terms

• bitterkalt
• bittersüß
• Bitterkeit
• verbittern

See also

Basic tastes in German (layout · text)
süß	sauer	salzig	bitter	scharf	herzhaft

Adverb

bitter

1. bitterly

   Synonym: verbittert

Further reading

• “bitter” in Duden online
• “bitter” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “bitter” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Italian

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of English bitters.

Noun

bitter m (invariable)

1. bitters

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch bitter, from Proto-West Germanic *bit(t)r, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtːər/

Adjective

bitter

1. bitter (taste)
2. sad, painful

Inflection

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: bitter
• Limburgish: bitter

Further reading

• “bitter”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bitter”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German bitter and Old Norse bitr.

Adjective

bitter (neuter singular bittert, definite singular and plural bitre, comparative bitrere, indefinite superlative bitrest, definite superlative bitreste)

1. bitter

Derived terms

• bitterhet

References

• “bitter” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German bitter and Old Norse bitr.

Adjective

bitter (neuter singular bittert, definite singular and plural bitre, comparative bitrare, indefinite superlative bitrast, definite superlative bitraste)

1. bitter

References

• “bitter” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbit.ter/

Adjective

bitter

1. Alternative form of biter

Declension

Old High German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbit.ter/

Adjective

bitter

1. Alternative form of bittar

References

• Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse bitr (partly through the influence of Middle Low German bitter), from Proto-Germanic *bitraz.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

bitter (comparative bittrare, superlative bittrast)

1. bitter; having an acrid taste
2. bitter; hateful
3. bitter; resentful

Declension

See also

• besk

References

• bitter in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• bitter in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• bitter in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• bittre