What is the Latin word for bit?

The usual Latin words for “bit” are offa, frustum, bolus; also buccea, uncia, offula. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“bit” in Latin

offamorsel; piece; chunk; dumpling frustuma piece, bit; crumb, morsel, scrap of food bolusa throw of the dice; a cast of a fishing net; a gain, profit, or advantage bucceamorsel, mouthful unciasnow leopard offulalittle bit; a bite to eat; term of abuse for a bad slave offātimin or to pieces frustātimpiecemeal

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

bit

of a bridle, orea. A bridle with a sharp bit, frenum lupatum.

bit v.

To bit a horse, oream ori equi inserere.

bit

mouthful, offa, frustum, bolus (Plaut., Terentianus, prae-classical), buccea (Suet.). Little bit, offula. Bit by bit, offatim, frustatim.

Morsel, little piece, mica, uncia; frustum. A bit of bread, uncia panis.

A little, paullulum. Not a bit, ne tantillum quidem, ne minimum quidem. To wait a bit, paulum or paulisper opperiri.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for bit?: The usual Latin words for “bit” are offa, frustum, bolus; also buccea, uncia, offula. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.