Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “biter” come from?

biter (Old English) comes from Old Norse bitr, from Proto-Germanic bitraz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós — biting, splitting.

biter (Old English): bitter; bitter, severe, painful, biting

Definitions

  1. bitter; bitter, severe, painful, biting

Ancestry of “biter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsebitrbitter
2Proto-Germanicbitrazbitter
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰidrósbiting, splitting

Words derived from “biter”

  • bitter
  • bitterness
  • bitters
  • embitter
  • embittering
  • embitterment
  • imbitter
  • bitterish
  • bitterroot
  • bittering
  • bitternut
  • bitterbrush
  • bittercress
  • bitterweed
  • unbitter
  • bitterwort
  • bitterwood
  • imbitterment
  • bittermelon
  • embitterer
  • unbitterly
  • embittereth
  • debitter
  • imbitterer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰidrós →