Etymology : Middle English, from Old English biter; akin to Old High German bittar bitter, Old English bItan
Pronunciation : bi-t&r
Function : adjective
Date : before 12th century
1. (British) dark beer, alcoholic beverage; sour quality. having an acrid taste. angry and/or sad: "He flaked on me so I'm a little bitter ". bitter\bit"ter\ , n. [see:
bitts.] (naut.) aa turn of the cable which is round the bitts.bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.bitter \bit"ter\ , a. [as. biter; akin to goth. baitrs, icel. bitr, dan., sw., d., & g. bitter, os. bittar, fr. root of e. bite. see:
bite, v. t.].
2. having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.
3. causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day.
4. causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant. it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the lord thy god. ii.
5. 4. characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach. husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. ol. iii.
6. 5. mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable. the egyptians made their lives bitter with hard bondage. i. 14.bitter apple,bitter cucumber,bitter gourd. (bot.) see:
colocynth.bitter cress (bot.), a plant of the genus cardamine, esp. c. amara.bitter earth (min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia.bitter principles (chem.), a class of substances, extracted from vegetable products, having strong bitter taste but with no sharply defined chemical characteristics.bitter salt, epsom salts; magnesium sulphate.bitter vetch (bot.), a name given to two european leguminous herbs, vicia orobus and ervum ervilia.
7. AA turn of the cable which is round the bitts.
8. Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.
9. Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day.
10. Causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant.
11. Characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach.
12. Mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable.
13. Any substance that is bitter.
14. See Bitters.
15. To make bitter. the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops proceeding from or exhibiting great hostility or animosity; "a bitter struggle"; "bitter enemies" expressive of severe grief or regret; "shed bitter tears" one of the four basic taste sensations; sharp and disagreeable; like the taste of quinine very difficult to accept or bear; "the bitter truth"; "a bitter sorrow".
16. 1.bitters (alcoholic drink made with substances bitter in taste).
17. bitter beer, bitter.
18. bitter, bitter in taste: bitter çikolata bitter chocolate.
19. 1. In a bitter argument or conflict, people argue very angrily or fight very fiercely. the scene of bitter fighting during the Second World War. a bitter attack on the Government's failure to support manufacturing + bitterly bit·ter·ly Any such thing would be bitterly opposed by most of the world's democracies. a bitterly fought football match. + bitterness bit·ter·ness The rift within the organization reflects the growing bitterness of the dispute.
20. If someone is bitter after a disappointing experience or after being treated unfairly, they continue to feel angry about it. She is said to be very bitter about the way she was sacked His long life was marked by bitter personal and political memories. + bitterly bit·ter·ly `And he sure didn't help us,' Grant said bitterly. the party bureaucrats who bitterly resented their loss of power. + bitterness bit·ter·ness I still feel bitterness and anger towards the person who knocked me down.
21. A bitter experience makes you feel very disappointed. You can also use bitter to emphasize feelings of disappointment. I think the decision was a bitter blow from which he never quite recovered The statement was greeted with bitter disappointment by many of the other delegates. + bitterly bit·ter·ly I was bitterly disappointed to have lost yet another race so near the finish.
22. Bitter weather, or a bitter wind, is extremely cold. Outside, a bitter east wind was accompanied by flurries of snow. + bitterly bit·ter·ly It's been bitterly cold here in Moscow.
23. A bitter taste is sharp, not sweet, and often slightly unpleasant. The leaves taste rather bitter. ¡Ù sweet.
24. Bitter is a kind of beer that is light brown in colour. a pint of bitter.
25. emphasis If you say that you will continue doing something to the bitter end, especially something difficult or unpleasant, you are emphasizing that you will continue doing it until it is completely finished. The guerrillas would fight to the bitter end, he said, in order to achieve their main goal.
26. a bitter pill: see:
pill.