or BITT, an essential part of a bridle. Its kinds are various. 1. The mufrol, snaffle, or watering-bit. 2. The canon-mouth, jointed in the middle. 3. The canon with a fast mouth, all of a piece, only kned in the middle, to form a liberty or space for the tongue; fit for horses too sensible, or ticklish, and liable to be continually bearing on the hand. 4. The canon-mouth, with the liberty in form of a pigeon's neck; proper where a horse has too large a tongue. 5. The canon with a port mouth, and an upset or mounting liberty; where a horse has a good mouth, but large tongue. 6. The fetch-mouth, with an upset; ruder but more secure than a canon mouth. 7. The canon mouth with a liberty; proper for a horse with a large tongue, and round bars. 8. The masticadour, or flavering bit, &c. The several parts of a snaffle, or curb-bit, are the mouth piece, the cheeks and eyes, guard of the cheek, head of the cheeks, the port, the welts, the campanel or curb and hook, the boffles, the bolsters and rabberts, the water-chains, the tide-bolts, and rings, kirbles of the bit or curb, trench, top-rol, flap and jieve. The importation of bits for bridles is now prohibited.

Bits, in ship-building, the name of two great timbers, usually placed abaft the manger, in the ship's loof, through which the cross-piece goes: The use of it is to belay the cable thereto, while the ship is at anchor.

Bit is also used in commerce for a piece of coin current in Jamaica, and valued at 7½d.