Bit vs But - What's the difference?
bit | but |
A piece of metal placed in a horse's mouth and connected to reins to direct the animal.
A rotary cutting tool fitted to a drill, used to bore holes.
(dated, British) A coin of a specified value. (Also used for a nine-pence coin in the British Caribbean)
(US) An eighth of a dollar. Note that there is no coin minted worth 12.5 cents. (When this term first came into use, the Spanish 8 reales coin was widely used as a dollar equivalent, and thus the 1 real coin was equivalent to 12.5 cents.)
(historical, US) In the southern and southwestern states, a small silver coin (such as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12½ cents; also, the sum of 12½ cents.
A small amount of something.
* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
, chapter=15 (informal) Specifically , a small amount of time.
A portion of something.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, magazine=(American Scientist), title= Somewhat; something, but not very great; also used like jot and whit to express the smallest degree.
* T. Hook
(slang) A prison sentence, especially a short one.
*
*
*
*
(An excerpt of material) An excerpt of material making up part of a show, comedy routine, etc.
The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers.
The cutting iron of a plane.
To a small extent; in a small amount (usually with "a").
To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of (a horse).
(bite)
, bitten
(label) bitten.
(label) Having been bitten.
*
*
*
1946] First used in print 1948 by (Claude Shannon). Compare (byte) and (nybble).
(mathematics, computing) A binary digit, generally represented as a 1 or 0.
(computing) The smallest unit of storage in a digital computer, consisting of a binary digit.
(information theory, cryptography) Any datum that may take on one of exactly two values.
(information theory) A unit of measure for information entropy.
* {{quote-web, date = 2011-05-17
, author = Lisa Grossman
, title = Entropy Is Universal Rule of Language
, site = Wired Science
, url = http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/universal-entropy/
, accessdate = 2012-09-26}}
(obsolete, outside, Scotland) Outside of.
Without, apart from, except.
Merely, only.
* 1791 , (Robert Burns), "(Ae Fond Kiss)":
* 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) :
* 1977 , (Alistair Horne), A Savage War of Peace , New York Review Books, 2006, p.49:
(Australian, conjunctive) Though, however.
Except (for), excluding. Preceded by a negation.
:
*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 23, author=Becky Ashton, work=BBC Sport
, title= On the contrary, but rather (introducing a word or clause that contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence without the not ).
:
However, although, nevertheless (implies that the following clause is contrary to prior belief or contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence).
:
:
*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=
, volume=189, issue=6, page=34, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=55, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= Except that (introducing a subordinate clause which qualifies a negative statement); also, with omission of the subject of the subordinate clause, acting as a negative relative, "except one that", "except such that".
*, II.15:
*:There is no reason but hath another contrary unto it, saith the wisest party of Philosophers.
*Shakespeare
*:And but my noble Moor is true of mindit were enough to put him to ill thinking.
*1820 , (John Keats), ‘Lamia’, Lamia & Other Poems :
*:A deadly silence step by step increased, / Until it seem'd a horrid presence there, / And not a man but felt the terror in his hair.
:
Without it also being the case that; unless that (introducing a necessary concomitant).
:
(obsolete) Except with; unless with; without.
*Fuller
*:So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or trampling on his inferiors.
*Motto of the Mackintoshes
*:Touch not the cat but a glove.
(obsolete) Only; solely; merely.
*Milton
*:Observe but how their own principles combat one another.
*Bible, 2 Kings vii. 4
*:If they kill us, we shall but die.
*Dryden
*:a formidable man but to his friends
An instance or example of using the word "but".
(Scotland) The outer room of a small two-room cottage.
A limit; a boundary.
The end; especially the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end; the butt.
As nouns the difference between bit and but
is that bit is a piece of metal placed in a horse's mouth and connected to reins to direct the animal or bit can be (mathematics|computing) a binary digit, generally represented as a 1 or 0 while but is an instance or example of using the word "but".As adverbs the difference between bit and but
is that bit is to a small extent; in a small amount (usually with "a") while but is merely, only.As a verb bit
is to put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of (a horse) or bit can be (bite).As an adjective bit
is (label) bitten.As a preposition but is
(obsolete|outside|scotland) outside of.As a conjunction but is
except (for), excluding preceded by a negation.bit
English
(wikipedia bit)Etymology 1
From (etyl) bita and bite - all from (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)citation, passage=‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’}}
Catherine Clabby
Focus on Everything, passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.
- Am I bored? Not a bit of it!
- My young companion was a bit of a poet.
- (Knight)
- (Knight)
Synonyms
* (coin) coin, piece * (small piece) morsel (of food), piece, scrap * (portion) portion, share, segment * (horse equipment) snaffle, pelham, kimberwickeDerived terms
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Adverb
(-)- That's a bit too sweet.
Verb
(bitt)Etymology 2
See biteVerb
(head)- Your dog bit me!
- I have been bit by your dog!
Adjective
(-)Etymology 3
Coined by (John Tukey) in 1946 as an abbreviation of (binary digit), probably influenced by connotations of “small portion”.[http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/98/q2/0602-honorary.html][http://www.thocp.net/timeline/1944.htmNoun
(en noun)- status bits''' on IRC; permission '''bits in a file system
- The researchers found that the original texts spanned a variety of entropy values in different languages, reflecting differences in grammar and structure.
But strangely, the difference in entropy between the original, ordered text and the randomly scrambled text was constant across languages. This difference is a way to measure the amount of information encoded in word order, Montemurro says. The amount of information lost when they scrambled the text was about 3.5 bits per word.
Synonyms
* (smallest unit of storage) bDerived terms
* bit-depth * bitwise * hidden bit * high-order bit * least significant bit * most significant bit * * * * *See also
* ban, nat, qubitStatistics
*but
English
Preposition
(English prepositions)- Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there.
- Everyone but Father left early.
- ''I like everything but that.
Adverb
(-)- For to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love for ever.
- Now the Wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet that was as powerful as a telescope, and could see everywhere.
- The stony outcrops are often covered but thinly with arable soil; winters are bitingly cold, and rainfall scanty and unpredictable.
- I'll have to go home early but .
Conjunction
(wikipedia but) (English Conjunctions)QPR 1-0 Chelsea, passage=Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot.}}
Ian Sample
Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains, passage=Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.}}
Travels and travails, passage=Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But , as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.}}
Usage notes
* Beginning a sentence with a coordinating conjunction such as but' is considered incorrect by classical grammarians arguing that a coordinating conjunction at the start of a sentence has nothing to connect, but use of the word in this way is very common. It is, however, best to avoid beginning a sentence with '''but''' in formal writing. Combining sentences or using '''however''', '''nevertheless''', '''still''', or ' though is appropriate for the formal style. ** But this tool has its uses. ** This tool has its uses, however. ** Nevertheless, this tool has its uses. ** Still, this tool has its uses. ** This tool still has its uses. ** This tool has its uses, though. * The use of the word but preceded by a comma is also considered incorrect by classical grammarians. ** I was very tired, but I decided to continue. ** It was a lovely day, but rain looked likely.Synonyms
* (except) bar, unless, excepting, excluding, with the exception of, without * (however) yet, although, acNoun
(en noun)- It has to be done – no ifs or buts .