biter

Etymology 1

From Middle English biter, bitere, equivalent to bite + -er. Cognate with West Frisian biter (“biter”), Dutch bijter (“biter”), German Low German Bieter (“biter”), German Beißer (“biter”).

noun

1. Agent noun of bite; someone or something who bites or tends to bite.
   Not all dogs are biters.
   My dislike was reinforced in 2016 when researchers discovered that more than three-quarters of the domestic boars and 40 per cent of wild boars they examined had bite injuries to their penises. The photos are horrific. Just who the biters were remains a mystery, but I think something goes wrong when a fundamentally herbivorous creature acquires a taste for flesh. 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 87
2. (fishing) A fish that tends to take bait.
   She tried the same cast several times. I signaled her to switch flies. After two such changes we still couldn't move the fish. Some steelhead are biters; some are not. 2007, John Shewey, On the Fly Guide to the Northwest, page 79
3. (curling) A stone that barely touches the outside of the house.
4. (slang) One who copies someone else's work, style or techniques, especially in hip-hop.
5. (obsolete) A cheat or fraudster.
6. (fiction) A zombie.

Etymology 2

From bit + -er.

noun

1. (in combination, computing) Something (a data unit, machine etc.) with a width of a specified amount of bits.
   The first microprocessor was a 4-bit device called the 4004. Today you can buy 1-bit machines, 4-biters, 8-biters, 12-biters and 16-biters. Which one should you buy, and why? 1978, Product Engineering, volume 49, page unknown
   Didn't know it was an 8-biter first, cool. The ST Star Raiders is pretty cool - my fav one yet & worth any $5. 1994-07-22, Jonathan T. Hunt, “ST Star Raiders”, in rec.games.video.atari (Usenet)