Skip to the word

Added 7 October 2026

bait

/beɪt/ noun

In Latin: esca Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bait at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Anything that serves as an enticement.
Something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed.

verb

Harass with persistent criticism or carping.
The children teased the new teacher
Lure, entice, or entrap with bait.
Attack with dogs or set dogs upon.

Origin

From Middle English bayte, bait, beite, from Old Norse beita (“food, bait”), from Proto-Germanic *baitō (“that which is bitten, bait”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to cleave, split, separate”). Cognate with German Beize (“mordant, corrosive fluid; marinade”), Old English bāt (“that which can be bitten, food, bait”). Related to bite.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word