tit

¹

[ tit ]

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.

tit

²

[ tit ]

noun

1. a teat.
2. Slang: Vulgar. a breast.

tit

³

[ tit ]

noun

1. tit for tat.

tit.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. title.

Tit.

⁵

abbreviation for

, Bible.

1. Titus.

Tit.

¹

abbreviation for

1. Titus

tit

²

/ 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

tit

³

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tit¹

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

Origin of tit³

Perhaps variant of tip ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of tit¹

C16: perhaps of imitative origin, applied to small animate or inanimate objects; compare Icelandic tittr pin

Origin of tit²

Old English titt; related to Middle Low German title, Norwegian titta

Example Sentences

Given the potential for a cyber tit-for-tat to escalate, Obama has even more incentive to find a diplomatic solution.

From The Daily Beast

Other feminist sites have championed objectifying men in tit-for-tat fashion as empowering women.

From The Daily Beast

Anyone “sucking the tit of the NRA,” he said, “can get off my train.”

From The Daily Beast

This means that tit-pic-posting your exes will finally be illegal, and that some shred of justice will be served.

From The Daily Beast

This series of tit-for-tat bombings has created the most violent and volatile dynamic in Lebanon since the end of the civil war.

From The Daily Beast

He has his particular likings and tit-bits, and is very expert in carving out the parts of an animal that please him best.

From Project Gutenberg

It does not contain great pieces, but tit-bits of pictures, such as suit an aristocratic epicure.

From Project Gutenberg

With a mental appetite uninjured by tit-bits and dainties, she digested the strong food, and asked eagerly for more.

From Project Gutenberg

And yet the one is as good as the other: pass for pass, tit for tat, a Roland for an Oliver.

From Project Gutenberg

I hed the rollin' pin redy, I'd bin in h'it ef h'tit hed kum to a klinch.

From Project Gutenberg