devil's bit

noun

: any of various plants with premorse rootstocks:

a

or less commonly devil's bit scabious : scabious sense 1

especially : a common purple or white flowered scabious (Scabiosa succisa or Succisa pratensis) that is native to Europe but naturalized in eastern North America and that yields a blue dye from the leaves compare woad

b

: any of several New World blazing stars (such as Chamaelirium luteum, Liatris spicata, or Aletris farinosa) compare button snakeroot, colicroot

Word History

Etymology

Middle English develesbite (translation of Medieval Latin morsus diaboli), from develes (genitive of devel devil) + bite, bitt bit, bite

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!