bitter

• adj. 苦的；痛苦的；尖刻的；充满仇恨的
• n. 苦味；苦啤酒
• adv. 激烈地；严寒刺骨地
• vt. 使变苦
• n. (Bitter)人名；(英、法、德、芬、捷、匈)比特

词源同bite, 咬，撕裂。后指酸，苦。

bitter

bitter: [OE] Old English biter appears to have come from *bit-, the short-vowel version of *bīt-, source of bite. Its original meaning would thus have been ‘biting’, and although there do not seem to be any traces of this left in the historical record, the sense development to ‘acrid-tasting’ is fairly straightforward (compare the similar case of sharp).

It seems likely that the bitter of ‘bitter end’ comes from a different source altogether, although in its current meaning it appears to have been influenced by the adjective bitter. A bitter was originally a ‘turn of a cable round the bitts’, and a bitt was a ‘post on the deck of a ship for fastening cables to’. It is not clear where bitt came from, although it was probably originally a seafarer’s term from the north German coast, and it may be related to English boat.

Thus in the first instance ‘to the bitter end’ probably meant ‘to the very end, as far as it is possible to go’.
=> bite

bitter (adj.)

Old English biter "bitter, sharp, cutting; angry, embittered; cruel," from Proto-Germanic *bitras- (cognates: Old Saxon bittar, Old Norse bitr, Dutch bitter, Old High German bittar, German bitter, Gothic baitrs "bitter"), from PIE root *bheid- "to split" (cognates: Old English bitan "to bite;" see bite (v.)). Evidently the meaning drifted in prehistoric times from "biting, of pungent taste," to "acrid-tasting." Used figuratively in Old English of states of mind and words. Related: Bitterly.

1. They drink bitter on draught in the local bar.

他们在当地的酒吧里喝桶装的苦啤酒。

来自柯林斯例句

2. For many, their long-awaited homecoming was a bitter disappointment.

对许多人来说，他们期盼已久的还乡之行却令他们大失所望。

来自柯林斯例句

3. McGuire took a long swig from his bottle of bitter lemon.

麦圭尔举起瓶子咕咚咕咚地喝了一大通苦柠檬汁。

来自柯林斯例句

4. Our spirits rallied as the bitter-sweet alcohol worked its magic.

苦中带甜的酒发挥了奇效，我们的精神随之振奋起来。

来自柯林斯例句

5. Outside, a bitter east wind was accompanied by flurries of snow.

外面，刺骨的东风伴着阵阵小雪。

来自柯林斯例句