bitter

Etymology 1

From Middle English bitter, bittre, from Old English bitter, biter (“bitter”), from Proto-West Germanic *bit(t)r, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz (“bitter”), equivalent to bite + -er (agent noun suffix) used attributively. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bitter, West Frisian bitter, Low German bitter, Dutch bitter, German bitter, Swedish bitter, Icelandic bitur (all meaning “bitter”).

adj

1. Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).
   The coffee tasted bitter.
   A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades. May 16 2018, Adam Rogers, “The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel”, in Wired
2. Harsh, piercing or stinging.
   It was at the end of February, […] when the world was cold, and a bitter wind howled down the moors […]. 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, p.31 (Perennial paperback edition)
3. Hateful or hostile.
   They're bitter enemies.
   Tottenham have not won in the Premier League at Emirates Stadium for 12 years, with Arsenal losing just one of their last 29 home league games against their bitter rivals. October 1 2022, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham: Gunners show identity & direction in outstanding derby win”, in BBC Sport
4. Cynical and resentful.
   I've been bitter ever since that defeat.

noun

1. (usually in the plural bitters) A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.
   Thus I begin: "All is not gold that glitters, "Pleasure seems sweet, but proves a glass of bitters. 1773, Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer
2. A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.
3. (nautical) A turn of a cable about the bitts.

verb

1. To make bitter.
   bittered with the hop 1766, John Wilkinson, Tutamen Nauticum

Etymology 2

bit + -er

noun

1. (computing, informal, in combination) A hardware system whose architecture is based around units of the specified number of bits (binary digits).
   However, 16-bitters are far more expensive than the 8-bit variety. And, unfortunately, have only a handful of business applications software packages that really take advantage of them. 1983, Computerworld, volume 17, number 49, page 21
   The company believes that the 32-bit market will almost equal that of 16-bitters by the end of the decade. Chip maker Zilog Inc., not a major player in the 16-bit arena, is even more bullish about 32-bitters as it readies its own version for market. 1984, Electronic Business, volume 10, page 154