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For Want Of A Letter ? Bated, Baited

By Sharon

The expression with bated breath is recorded as appearing for the first time in William Shakespeare’s 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 it’s no surprise that it’s often misspelled as baited. According to Merriam Webster, bait means to persecute, harass or lure.

Here’s an example to illustrate the two meanings: She waited with bated breath to see if he would take the bait.

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Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on January 29, 2008 (boomark / email).