With Bated Breath
Brian from Interlochen
came across the phrase with bated breath and wondered what it meant and where it came from.
The first thing to note
is that the spelling is b-a-t-e-d, not b-a-i-t-e-d. A person with baited breath
would have been eating worms or minnows.
Bated in this sense
amounts to “held breath.” It goes back to Old French and Anglo-Norman words
that meant to reduce, decrease, or beat back. Bated breath occurs when someone
is shocked, terrified, or otherwise stunned into breathlessness.
Abate and rebate are
allied words.
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Nook edition
Nook edition
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