short bit

noun

The monetary amount of ten cents.

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Meanings

nounshort bit (plural short bits)

plural short bits

  1. UShistoricalThe monetary amount of ten cents.

Origin

With the adoption of decimal US currency in 1794, there was no longer a US coin worth one eighth of a dollar, but two bits retained the meaning of one quarter dollar. Because there was no one-bit coin, a dime (10¢) was sometimes called a short bit and 15¢ a long bit.

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Cite this entry
APA

short bit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/short%20bit

MLA

“short bit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/short%20bit. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “short bit,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/short%20bit.

Source: short bit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.