Crumb

[kruhm] /krʌm/

noun
1.
a small particle of bread, cake, etc., that has broken off.
2.
a small particle or portion of anything; fragment; bit.
3.
the soft inner portion of a bread (distinguished from ).
4.
crumbs, a cake topping made of sugar, flour, butter, and spice, usually crumbled on top of the raw batter and baked with the cake.
5.
Slang. a contemptibly objectionable or worthless person.
verb (used with object)
6.
Cookery. to dress or prepare with crumbs.
7.
to break into crumbs or small fragments.
8.
to remove crumbs from:
The waiter crumbed the table.
/krʌm/
noun
1.
a small fragment of bread, cake, or other baked foods
2.
a small piece or bit: crumbs of information
3.
the soft inner part of bread
4.
(slang) a contemptible person
verb
5.
(transitive) to prepare or cover (food) with breadcrumbs
6.
to break into small fragments
adjective
7.
(esp of pie crusts) made with a mixture of biscuit crumbs, sugar, etc
n.

Old English cruma “crumb, fragment,” from a West Germanic root of obscure origin (cf. Middle Dutch crume, Dutch kruim, German krume). The -b- appeared mid-15c., in part by analogy with words like dumb, in part from crumble. Slang meaning “lousy person” is 1918, from crumb, U.S. slang for “body-louse” (1863), so called from resemblance.

noun

[fr the resemblance of a louse to a crumb]

data, jargon
(Or tayste /tayst/) Silly suggested term for two binary digits.
The term “quarter” has also been suggested, referring to the US 25-cent coin. This was once equal in value to two of the eight “bits” – pie-slice-shaped “pieces of eight” – into which Spanish silver crowns were cut to make change.
[Jargon File]
(2007-05-31)