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Bitters

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bit⋅ters

  [bit-erz]
Use Bitters in a Sentence
–noun (used with a plural verb)
1. a liquid, often an alcoholic liquor, in which bitter herbs or roots have steeped, used as a flavoring, esp. in mixed drinks, or as a tonic.
2. Pharmacology.
a. a liquid, usually alcoholic, impregnated with a bitter medicine, as gentian or quassia, used to increase the appetite or as a tonic.
b. bitter medicinal substances in general, as quinine.
Origin:
1705–15; bitter + -s 3
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bit⋅ter

  [bit-er] adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb, adverb
–adjective
1. having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes.
2. producing one of the four basic taste sensations; not sour, sweet, or salt.
3. hard to bear; grievous; distressful: a bitter sorrow.
4. causing pain; piercing; stinging: a bitter chill.
5. characterized by intense antagonism or hostility: bitter hatred.
6. hard to admit or accept: a bitter lesson.
7. resentful or cynical: bitter words.
–noun
8. that which is bitter; bitterness: Learn to take the bitter with the sweet.
9. British. a very dry ale having a strong taste of hops.
–verb (used with object)
10. to make bitter: herbs employed to bitter vermouth.
–adverb
11. extremely; very; exceedingly: a bitter cold night.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME, OE biter; c. G bitter, ON bitr, Goth baitrs; akin to bite

Related forms:
bit⋅ter⋅ish, adjective
bit⋅ter⋅ly, adverb
bit⋅ter⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. acrid, biting, distasteful. 3. distressing, poignant, painful. 4. biting, nipping. 5. fierce, cruel, ruthless, relentless. 7. acrimonious, caustic, sardonic, scornful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Bitters
bit·ter   (bĭt'ər)   
adj.   bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est

  1. Having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid, and unpleasant.

  2. Causing a sharply unpleasant, painful, or stinging sensation; harsh: enveloped in bitter cold; a bitter wind.

  3. Difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear: the bitter truth; bitter sorrow.

  4. Proceeding from or exhibiting strong animosity: a bitter struggle; bitter foes.

  5. Resulting from or expressive of severe grief, anguish, or disappointment: cried bitter tears.

  6. Marked by resentment or cynicism: "He was already a bitter elderly man with a gray face" (John Dos Passos).

adv.  In an intense or harsh way; bitterly: a bitter cold night.
tr.v.   bit·tered, bit·ter·ing, bit·ters
To make bitter.
n.  

  1. That which is bitter: "all words . . . /Failing to give the bitter of the sweet" (Tennyson).

  2. bitters A bitter, usually alcoholic liquid made with herbs or roots and used in cocktails or as a tonic.

  3. Chiefly British A sharp-tasting beer made with hops.


[Middle English, from Old English; see bheid- in Indo-European roots.]
bit'ter·ly adv., bit'ter·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean unpleasantly sharp or pungent in taste or smell: a bitter cough syrup; an acerbic green apple; acrid smoke.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bitter 
O.E. biter, akin to bitan "bite," from P.Gmc. *bitras, from PIE base *bheid- "to split" (see fissure). Meaning moved in prehistoric times from "biting" to "acrid-tasting." Transferred to state of mind and to words in O.E. Bittersweet is 14c. in literal and figurative senses; bitters, so called for its taste, is from 1713. Phrase to the bitter end is attested from 1849.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bit·ter
Pronunciation: 'bit-&r
Function: adjective
: being or inducing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is peculiarlyacrid, astringent, or disagreeable and suggestive of an infusion of hops —compare SALT 2, SOUR, SWEET —bit·ter·ness noun

Main Entry: bit·ters
Pronunciation: 'bit-&rz
Function: noun plural
: a usually alcoholic solution of bitter and often aromatic plant products usedespecially in preparing mixed drinks or as a mild tonic
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

bitters

any of numerous aromatized and often alcoholic liquids containing bitter substances (chiefly alkaloids, glycosides, or complexes), used as tonics, liqueurs, appetizers, digestives, flavourings, and ingredients to add tang or smoothness to alcoholic drinks. Bitters are prepared according to secret recipes by several manufacturers using bitter herbs, leaves, fruits, seeds, or roots and sometimes alcohol or sugar. The taste is imparted by substances such as orange peel, gentian root, rhubarb root, hop flowers, quassia-wood chips, cascarilla, cinchona bark, and quinine. Aroma is provided by juniper, cinnamon, caraway, anise, nutmeg, camomile, cloves, and other flavouring agents. Bitters are usually named according to the ingredient giving the predominant flavour, such as orange bitters and peach bitters. The alcoholic strength varies but is generally about 40 percent by volume

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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