biter

Definition

Agent noun of bite; someone or something who bites or tends to bite.

Etymology

From Middle English biter, bitere, equivalent to bite + -er. Cognate with West Frisian biter (“biter”), Dutch bijter (“biter”), German Low German Bieter (“biter”), German Beißer (“biter”).

Example Sentences

• "Not all dogs are biters."
• "My dislike was reinforced in 2016 when researchers discovered that more than three-quarters of the domestic boars and 40 per cent of wild boars they examined had bite injuries to their penises. The photos are horrific. Just who the biters were remains a mystery, but I think something goes wrong when a fundamentally herbivorous creature acquires a taste for flesh."
• "She tried the same cast several times. I signaled her to switch flies. After two such changes we still couldn't move the fish. Some steelhead are biters; some are not."