One who bites; a person or animal that has the habit of biting. Can also refer to someone who is sarcastic or cutting in speech.
From Old English bitere, from bitan 'to bite' + -er (agent suffix). The word follows the standard pattern of adding -er to verbs to indicate someone who performs that action regularly or habitually.
The word often carries moral judgment—a 'biter' isn't just someone who happens to bite, but someone whose biting behavior is seen as problematic or characteristic. In playground language, calling someone a 'biter' immediately establishes them as someone to be wary of, showing how simple descriptors can become social categories.
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