Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BIT'TER, a. [Sax. biter; Sw. D. Ger. and Dan. bitter, from bite.]

1. Sharp, or biting to the taste; acrid: like wormwood.
2. Sharp; cruel; severe; as, bitter enmity. – Heb. i.
3. Sharp, as words; reproachful; sarcastic.
4. Sharp to the feeling; piercing; painful; that makes to smart; as, a bitter cold day, or a bitter blast.
5. Painful to the mind; calamitous; poignant; as, a bitter fate.
6. Afflicted; distressed. The Egyptians made their lives bitter. – Ex. i.
7. Hurtful; very sinful. It is an evil and bitter thing. – Jer. ii.
8. Mournful; distressing; expressive of misery; as, a bitter complaint or lamentation. – Job xxiii. Jer. vi. xxxi.