Bated vs. Baited

Bated vs. Baited Bated vs. Baited Bated vs. Baited By Sharon The expression with bated breath is recorded as appearing for the first time in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice towards the end of the 16th century. It refers to having subdued or restrained breathing because of some strong emotion. The verb to bate, which means reduce the intensity of; take away; or lower in estimation or amount (an archaic usage), has long since disappeared from common use. So its no surprise that its often misspelled as baited. According to Merriam Webster, bait means to persecute, harass or lure. Heres an example to illustrate the two meanings: She waited with bated breath to see if he would take the bait. Here are some quotations illustrating their usage: the end of the year approaches, practically everyone in the fashion, beauty and interior design industries waits with bated breath to see what Pantone will proclaim as the official color for the upcoming year. (www.chicagotribune.com) the world - or at least, the American public - waited with bated breath on Thursday for the National Archives to release its final batch of records related to the assassination of (www.usatoday.com) Channel and blue catfish are good on hot dogs, shrimp, Spam, and frozen shad. Yellow catfish are good on juglines baited with live perch. (www.chicagotribune.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Talking"Gratitude" or "Gratefulness"?Present Participle as Adjective