English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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bitey (comparative bitier, superlative bitiest)

  1. (informal) Inclined to bite.
    • 2005, Tom Widdicombe, Be with Your Horse: Getting to the Heart of Horsemanship:
      So when someone tells you their little trick for dealing with a bitey horse, just remember that that is what it is — a little trick.
    • 2006, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch: One Man, One Continent, a Race Against Time:
      It has all the beauty of an idyllic tropical island without any of the nasty, bitey stuff.

Derived terms

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