Tempted or provoked someone by offering something attractive, or put bait on a hook to catch fish.
From Middle English 'baiten,' derived from Old Norse 'beita' meaning 'to cause to bite.' Originally meant to feed or nourish, then evolved to mean setting a trap or deliberately provoking someone.
The word 'bait' comes from the same root as 'bite' — they're linguistic cousins! When you bait a hook or bait someone into an argument, you're using the same ancient concept of getting something to bite at something else.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.