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Webster 1913 Edition

Bait

Bait

(bāt)
,
Noun.
[Icel.
beita
food,
beit
pasture, akin to AS.
bāt
food, Sw.
bete
. See
Bait
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.
2.
Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation.
Fairfax.
3.
A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.
4.
A light or hasty luncheon.
Bait bug
(Zool.)
,
a crustacean of the genus
Hippa
found burrowing in sandy beaches. See
Anomura
.

Bait

(bāt)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Baited
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Baiting
.]
[OE.
baiten
,
beitēn
, to feed, harass, fr. Icel.
beita
, orig., to cause to bite, fr.
bīta
. √87. See
Bite
.]
1.
To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport;
as, to
bait
a bear with dogs; to
bait
a bull
.
2.
To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road;
as, to
bait
horses
.
Holland.
3.
To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook.
A crooked pin . . .
baited
with a vile earthworm.
W. Irving.

Bait

(bāt)
,
Verb.
I.
To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one’s self or one's beasts, on a journey.
Evil news rides post, while good news
baits
.
Milton.
My lord's coach conveyed me to Bury, and thence
baiting
at Newmarket.
Evelyn.

Bait

(bāt)
,
Verb.
I.
[F.
battre de l'aile
(or
des ailes
), to flap or flutter. See
Batter
,
Verb.
T.
]
To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey.
“Kites that bait and beat.”
Shak.

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