English word origin

Etymology of bitey

From bite + -y (suffix forming adjectives). Compare West Frisian bitsich (“snappy”), Saterland Frisian bieterg (“snappish”), German Low German bittsig (“snappy”), German bissig (“snappy, snappish”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Inclined to bite. · Having a sharp or spicy flavor.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionbitsichfy · snappy
Cognate mentionbietergstq · snappish
Cognate mentionbissigde · snappy, snappish

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bite",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "adjectival",
        "pos2": "suffix forming adjectives"
      },
      "expansion": "bite + -y (suffix forming adjectives)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "bitsich",
        "t": "snappy"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian bitsich (“snappy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "bieterg",
        "t": "snappish"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian bieterg (“snappish”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "bittsig",
        "t": "snappy"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German bittsig (“snappy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "bissig",
        "t": "snappy, snappish"
      },
      "expansion": "German bissig (“snappy, snappish”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bite",
      "bite#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "bitsich",
      "bitsich#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "bieterg",
      "bieterg#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "bittsig",
      "bittsig#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "bissig",
      "bissig#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Inclined to bite.",
        "Having a sharp or spicy flavor."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An animal that bites or stings.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt Proto-Germanic *bītaną Proto-West Germanic *bītan Old English bītan Middle English biten English bite Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English bitey From bite + -y (suffix forming nouns).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "bite",
        "4": "-y<id:diminutive><pos:suffix forming nouns>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-\nProto-Indo-European *-t\nProto-Indo-European *bʰéydt\nProto-Germanic *bītaną\nProto-West Germanic *bītan\nOld English bītan\nMiddle English biten\nEnglish bite\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish bitey\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*bītaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*bītan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"bītan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"biten\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bite\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-i, *-ī\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-j-, *-ij-\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-j-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-i\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\", \"pos\" : \"suffix forming nouns\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bitey\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"bitey\">\nFrom bite + -y (suffix forming nouns)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
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        "2": ":af",
        "3": "bite",
        "4": "-y<id:diminutive><pos:suffix forming nouns>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-\nProto-Indo-European *-t\nProto-Indo-European *bʰéydt\nProto-Germanic *bītaną\nProto-West Germanic *bītan\nOld English bītan\nMiddle English biten\nEnglish bite\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish bitey\nFrom bite + -y (suffix forming nouns)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*bʰeyd-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰeyd-"
    ],
    [
      "*-t",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-t"
    ],
    [
      "*bʰéydt",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰéydt"
    ],
    [
      "*bītaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bītaną"
    ],
    [
      "*bītan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/bītan"
    ],
    [
      "bītan",
      "bitan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "biten",
      "biten#Middle_English:_bite"
    ],
    [
      "bite",
      "bite#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-j-, *-ij-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-j-"
    ],
    [
      "*-i, *-ī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-i"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "bite",
      "bite#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An animal that bites or stings."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for bitey →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Yml0ZXk