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• tit
  tit

  noun

  a titmouse.
• tit.
  tit.

  abbreviation

  title.
• Tit.
  Tit.

  abbreviation

  Titus.

tit

¹ American  

[tit] / tɪt /

noun

1. a titmouse.

2. any of various other small birds.

3. Archaic. a girl or young woman; hussy.

4. Archaic. a small or poor horse; nag.

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tit ² American  

[tit] / tɪt /

noun

1. a teat.

2. Slang: Vulgar. a breast.

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tit ³ American  

[tit] / tɪt /

noun

1. tit for tat.

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tit. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. title.

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Tit. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

Bible.

1. Titus.

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tit ¹ British  

/ tɪt /

noun

1. slang a female breast

2. a teat or nipple

3. derogatory a girl or young woman

4. slang a despicable or unpleasant person: often used as a term of address

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tit ² British  

/ tɪt /

noun

1. any of numerous small active Old World songbirds of the family Paridae (titmice), esp those of the genus Parus (bluetit, great tit, etc). They have a short bill and feed on insects and seeds

2. any of various similar small birds

3. archaic a worthless or worn-out horse; nag

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Tit. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Titus

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Etymology

Origin of tit¹

First recorded in 1540–50; short for titmouse ( def. ); akin to Old Norse titlingr “sparrow,” Norwegian tite “titmouse”; see also tit ²

Origin of tit²

First recorded before 1100; Middle English, Old English tit(t) “teat, pap, breast”; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch titte, German Zitze, Norwegian titta; akin to tit ¹; see also teat ( def. )

Origin of tit³

Perhaps variant of tip ⁴

Example Sentences

He praised Powell’s avoidance of engaging in tit for tat with the president.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

The culprit: a half-ounce bird called the blue tit.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The top three birds in Kent and West Sussex were the house sparrow, blue tit and Starling, while in East Sussex they were the house sparrow, blue tit and wood pigeon.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Researchers plan to continue monitoring the great tit population in Wytham Woods to understand how these weather effects may shift in the future.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

“But what’s the good of a blue tit or a robin to us? They don’t fly any distance. We need a big bird.”

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams