The Egyptians . . . made their lives bitter with hard bondage.
Ex. i. 14.
Bitter apple, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd. (Bot.) See Colocynth. -- Bitter cress (Bot.), a plant of the genus Cardamine, esp. C. amara. -- Bitter earth (Min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia. -- Bitter principles (Chem.), a class of substances, extracted from vegetable products, having strong bitter taste but with no sharply defined chemical characteristics. -- Bitter salt, Epsom salts; magnesium sulphate. -- Bitter vetch (Bot.), a name given to two European leguminous herbs, Vicia Orobus and Ervum Ervilia. -- To the bitter end, to the last extremity, however calamitous.
Syn. -- Acrid; sharp; harsh; pungent; stinging; cutting; severe; acrimonious.
Bit"ter (&?;), n. Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.
Bit"ter, v. t. To make bitter. Wolcott.
Bit"ter*bump` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) the butterbump or bittern.