According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, bitterness is a basic taste; it defines the taste sense of the English adjective and noun bitter as 『being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale』.
The same dictionary gives figurative uses of bitter: sense 1b, 『distasteful or distressing to the mind : GALLING』, for mental displeasure or distress; and sense 3, 『caused by or expressive of severe pain, grief, or regret』, for severe pain, grief, or regret.
Merriam-Webster traces the word through Middle English to Old English biter and derives it from reconstructed Proto-Germanic *bitra- and *baitra-, linked to 『to bite』. The etymology site Etymonline describes Old English biter as 『having a harsh taste, sharp, cutting; angry, full of animosity; cruel』. It describes a prehistoric shift from 「噛みつく」 (in translation: "biting") to 「刺激的な味、酸味・辛味のある」 (in translation: "a pungent, acrid taste"), and says Old English already used the word figuratively for mental states and speech.
Checked for this overview: Presented the dictionary’s taste definition as one of the five basic tastes. / Presented figurative senses of mental displeasure and grief. / Presented the derivation traced back to Proto-Germanic.
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Culture (4)
bitter is defined in a dictionary as "being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is peculiarly acrid, astringent, and often disagreeable and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale"contextual
Scope: Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, headword bitter, adjective sense 1a
The definition describes being, inducing, or being characterized by 1 of the 5 basic taste sensations: a taste that is peculiarly acrid and astringent, often disagreeable, and characteristic of citrus peels, unsweetened cocoa, black coffee, mature leafy greens (such as kale or mustard), or ale.
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.
Show dataconcept-word-bitter-en —is_defined_in_dictionary_as→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w59c-en-taste / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04
bitter is presented as: "distasteful or distressing to the mind : GALLING" (sense 1b) and "caused by or expressive of severe pain, grief, or regret" (sense 3)contextual
The definitions, in effect: distasteful or distressing to the mind, galling (sense 1b), and caused by or expressive of severe pain, grief, or regret (sense 3).
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.
Show dataconcept-word-bitter-en —is_presented_as→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w59c-en-metaphor / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04
bitter — etymology of the name: Middle English, going back to Old English biter, going back to Germanic *bitra- (whence Old Saxon & Old High German bittar "acrid-tasting," Old Norse bitr "biting, sharp") and *baitra- (whence Gothic baitrs "sharp-tasting"), derivatives from the base of *bītan- "to bite"contextual
Scope: Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, headword bitter, Word History / Etymology (adjective)
The entry traces the word through Middle English to Old English biter, then to the reconstructed Germanic forms *bitra- and *baitra-. The former gave rise to Old Saxon and Old High German bittar, meaning acrid-tasting, and Old Norse bitr, meaning biting or sharp; the latter gave rise to Gothic baitrs, meaning sharp-tasting. Both forms derive from the base *bītan-, meaning to bite.
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.
Show dataconcept-word-bitter-en —has_name_etymology→ (the claim sentence above)
claim: clm-w59c-en-etymology / type: cultural / updated: 2026-09-04
bitter — etymology of the name: 『Old English biter "having a harsh taste, sharp, cutting; angry, full of animosity; cruel," from Proto-Germanic *bitras-...If so, the meaning drifted in prehistoric times from "biting," to "of pungent taste, acrid-tasting." It also was used figuratively in Old English of states of mind and words.』. The Japanese explanatory note describes Old English biter as 「荒々しい味、鋭い、切るような、怒った、敵意に満ちた、残酷な」 (in translation: "harsh-tasting, sharp, cutting, angry, hostile, or cruel"); it describes a possible prehistoric shift from 「噛みつく」 (in translation: "biting") to 「刺激的な味、酸味・辛味のある」 (in translation: "pungent and acrid tasting"), while noting figurative Old English uses for mental states and words.contextual
Scope: Etymonline.com’s description under the headword bitter (adjective).
Note: This is a statement by the etymology site Etymonline and is treated as such. It is kept distinct from Merriam-Webster’s separate etymological account.
The entry gives Old English biter as meaning harsh-tasting, sharp, cutting, angry, full of animosity, or cruel, from Proto-Germanic *bitras-. It states that, if that interpretation is correct, the meaning shifted in prehistoric times from biting to pungent and acrid-tasting, and notes that the word was already used figuratively in Old English of states of mind and words.
Limitations: The print original was not checked; only the content displayed in the online dictionary was consulted.