Definitions and meaning of bitch
bitch
English
Etymology
From Middle English biche, bicche, from Old English biċċe, from Proto-West Germanic *bikkjā, from Proto-Germanic *bikjǭ (compare Norwegian bikkje (“dog”), Old Danish bikke), from *bikjaną (“to thrust, attack”) (compare Old Norse bikkja (“plunge into water”), Dutch bikken (“to hack”)). More at bicker.
Pronunciation
- enPR: bĭch, IPA(key): /bɪt͡ʃ/
- (Slang, AAVE) IPA(key): /bɪʃ/
Noun
bitch (countable and uncountable, plural bitches)
- (dated or specialised, dog-breeding) A female dog or other canine, particularly a recent mother.
- (archaic, offensive) A promiscuous woman, slut, whore.
- (slang, vulgar, offensive, often sexist) A despicable or disagreeable, aggressive person, usually a woman. [from 15th c.]
- Hypernyms: arsehole, asshole (sometimes coordinate by masculine/feminine distinction); see also Thesaurus:jerk
- Coordinate term: bitcher
- Near-synonyms: cunt (vulgar, offensive); see also Thesaurus:jerk
- (vulgar, offensive, slang) A woman.
- (vulgar, offensive) A man considered weak, effeminate, timid or pathetic in some way
- (LGBTQ slang, derogatory) An obviously gay man.
- (vulgar, offensive) A submissive person who does what others want; (prison slang) a man forced or coerced into a homoerotic relationship. [from the 20th c]
- 1999 September 23, Chris Sheridan, “This House Is Freakin’ Sweet”, “Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater”, Family Guy, season 2, episode 1, Fox Broadcasting Company
- Now that you're stinking rich, we'd gladly be your bitch.
- (slang, vulgar, idiomatic, derogatory, misogynistic) A female sexual partner, typically in casual sexual relations
- (LGBTQ slang, idiomatic, vulgar, chiefly humorous) a sexual partner
- (obsolete, informal, of a man) A playful variation on dog (sense "man"). [from the 16th c]
- (humorous, vulgar, colloquial, used with a possessive pronoun) Friend. [from the 20th ca]
- (vulgar, colloquial) A complaint, especially when the complaint is unjustified.
- (colloquial, vulgar) A difficult or confounding problem.
- (colloquial, vulgar, card games) A queen playing card, particularly the queen of spades in the card game of hearts.
- Coordinate term: butcher
- (vulgar, figurative) Something unforgiving and unpleasant.
- (vulgar, informal, slang) Place; situation
- (UK, obsolete, university slang) Tea (the drink).
- (chess, slang, vulgar, offensive) A queen.
Usage notes
- While bitch's original canine sense permits it to be used in most media, it remains offensive enough that, in the US, it is often minced (as b, b-word, or female dog) in formal contexts.
Alternative forms
- (offensive senses):
- biatch/biotch; beatch/beotch
- bih
- binch
- bish
- biyatch/biyotch; beeyatch/beeyotch
- bizatch/biz-atch/biznatch
Euphemisms:
Synonyms
- (female dog, etc): doggess (rare), female (when the species is specified or implied), she-dog
- (malicious, etc, woman): See Thesaurus:shrew or Thesaurus:jerk
- (malicious, etc, man): See Thesaurus:bastard or Thesaurus:jerk
- (jocular slang, one's friend): See Thesaurus:friend
- (person in a relationship who is made to adopt a submissive role): doormat, slave
- (man forced into a homoerotic relationship in prison): punk, gunsel
- (a complaint): gripe, grumble, kvetch, moan, whinge
- (difficult or confounding problem): toughie, stinker, pain in the ass
Hyponyms
Female canine
- brach, a female hound
- she-wolf
- vixen, a female fox
Derived terms
Descendants
- → Dutch: bitch
- →? German: Betze, Bätze, Petze
- → French: bitch
Translations
References
- Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. →ISBN
Verb
bitch (third-person singular simple present bitches, present participle bitching, simple past and past participle bitched)
- (vulgar, intransitive) To behave or act as a bitch; especially, to complain excessively.
- Synonym: bitch and moan
- Coordinate terms: whine, grumble; see also Thesaurus:complain
- (vulgar, intransitive) To complain or criticize spitefully, often for the sake of complaining rather than in order to have the problem corrected.
- Synonyms: bitch and moan, (transitive) snipe; bitch out, badmouth, slag off (especially UK)
- Coordinate terms: whine, grumble, (transitive) rag; see also Thesaurus:complain
- (vulgar, transitive) To spoil, to ruin.
Derived terms
Translations
References
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from English bitch, from Middle English biche, bicche, from Old English biċċe, from Proto-Germanic *bikjǭ.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɪtʃ/
-
- Hyphenation: bitch
Noun
bitch f (plural bitches, diminutive bitchje n)
- (derogatory) bitch (somewhat general term of abuse for a woman; disagreeable, assertive, aggressive or malicious woman)
- Synonyms: teef, trut, kreng
- (derogatory) bitch (person in a submissive or low-placed position)
Related terms
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English bitch, from Middle English biche, bicche, from Old English biċċe, from Proto-Germanic *bikjǭ.
Pronunciation
Noun
bitch f (plural bitchs)
- bitch (disagreeable, despicable woman)
Source: wiktionary.org