Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Bias

Bi′as

(bī′as)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Biases
(-ĕz)
.
[F.
biasis
, perh. fr. LL.
bifax
two-faced; L.
bis
+
facies
face. See
Bi-
, and cf.
Face
.]
1.
A weight on the side of the ball used in the game of bowls, or a tendency imparted to the ball, which turns it from a straight line.
Being ignorant that there is a concealed
bias
within the spheroid, which will . . . swerve away.
Sir W. Scott.
2.
A leaning of the mind; propensity or prepossession toward an object or view, not leaving the mind indifferent; bent; inclination.
Strong love is a
bias
upon the thoughts.
South.
Morality influences men’s lives, and gives a
bias
to all their actions.
Locke.
3.
A wedge-shaped piece of cloth taken out of a garment (as the waist of a dress) to diminish its circumference.
4.
A slant; a diagonal;
as, to cut cloth on the
bias
.
Syn. – Prepossession; prejudice; partiality; inclination. See
Bent
.

Bi′as

,
Adj.
1.
Inclined to one side; swelled on one side.
[Obs.]
Shak.
2.
Cut slanting or diagonally, as cloth.

Bi′as

,
adv.
In a slanting manner; crosswise; obliquely; diagonally;
as, to cut cloth
bias
.

Bi′as

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Biased
(bī′ast)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Biasing
.]
To incline to one side; to give a particular direction to; to influence; to prejudice; to prepossess.
Me it had not
biased
in the one direction, nor should it have
biased
any just critic in the counter direction.
De Quincey.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bias

BI'AS

,
Noun.
1.
A weight on the side of a bowl which turns it from a straight line.
2.
A leaning of the mind; inclination; prepossession; propensity towards an object, not leaving the mind indifferent; as, education gives a bias to the mind.
3.
That which causes the mind to lean or incline from a state of indifference, to a particular object or course.

BI'AS

,
Verb.
T.
To incline to one side; to warp; to give a particular direction to the mind; to prejudice; to prepossess. The judgment is often biassed by interest.
This word is used by Shakespeare as an adverb, bias and thwart,i.e. aslope; and as an adjective.
Blow till they bias cheek
Outswell the cholic of puft Aquilon.

Definition 2024

Bias

Bias

See also: bias

Translingual

Bias musicus

Etymology

New Latin, from Ancient Greek βύας ‎(búas, “a bird of ill omen, possibly Bubo bubo”)

Proper noun

Bias m

  1. A taxonomic genus within the family Platysteiridae – the black-and-white shrike-flycatcher.

References

  • Gill, F. and Wright, M. (2006) Birds of the World: Recommended English Names, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0691128276

English

Proper noun

Bias

  1. One of the Seven Sages of Greece from Priene living in the 6th century BC.

Translations

Anagrams

bias

bias

See also: Bias

English

Noun

bias ‎(countable and uncountable, plural biases or biasses)

  1. (countable, uncountable) inclination towards something; predisposition, partiality, prejudice, preference, predilection
    • 1748. David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 4.
      nature has pointed out a mixed kind of life as most suitable to the human race, and secretly admonished them to allow none of these biasses to draw too much
    • John Locke
      Morality influences men's lives, and gives a bias to all their actions.
  2. (countable, textiles) the diagonal line between warp and weft in a woven fabric
  3. (countable, textiles) A wedge-shaped piece of cloth taken out of a garment (such as the waist of a dress) to diminish its circumference.
  4. (electronics) a voltage or current applied for example to a transistor electrode
  5. (statistics) the difference between the expectation of the sample estimator and the true population value, which reduces the representativeness of the estimator by systematically distorting it
  6. (sports) In the game of crown green bowls: a weight added to one side of a bowl so that as it rolls, it will follow a curved rather than a straight path; the oblique line followed by such a bowl; the lopsided shape or structure of such a bowl.
    • Sir Walter Scott
      there is a concealed bias within the spheroid

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

bias ‎(third-person singular simple present biases or biasses, present participle biasing or biassing, simple past and past participle biased or biassed)

  1. (transitive) To place bias upon; to influence.
    Our prejudices bias our views.

Adjective

bias ‎(comparative more bias, superlative most bias)

  1. Inclined to one side; swelled on one side.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  2. Cut slanting or diagonally, as cloth.

Adverb

bias ‎(not comparable)

  1. In a slanting manner; crosswise; obliquely; diagonally.
    to cut cloth bias

Anagrams

Old Irish

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Verb

bias

  1. third-person singular future relative of at·tá

Etymology 2

Verb

bias

  1. third-person singular future relative of benaid

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
bias bias
pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/ 		mbias
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Βίας ‎(Bías).

Similar Results