Imagine a female dog barking out of control and then imagine that woman behind the counter at Sheetz when you ask a question and she snaps at you.  Finding anything in common?  I find both situations very similar.  In the English language there is a slang word that is common with the barking dog and the snapping woman and that word is �bitch.�  To the dog one could say �Shut up bitch!�  And after walking away from the counter at Sheetz one might say �That lady was such a bitch!� According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a bitch is defined as being a female dog or other canine animal.  They also define it as being slang and meaning a spiteful or lewd woman.  To me a bitch is someone (a female) that has an extreme attitude problem and a huge chip on her shoulder.  I think the dictionary definition of bitch should be a spiteful or lewd woman because it is said more frequently meaning that definition then it is when describing a female dog or other canine.

      The slang term bitch probably reached its meaning of a spiteful or lewd woman when people began to compare a malicious woman�s attitude with that of a female dog (the non-slang definition of bitch).  More than likely they came to the assumption that when someone is being bitchy she is acting like an out of control canine.

      The Oxford English Dictionary tells us that it is not known for sure exactly when the term bitch entered the English language.  However, in 1387 there was a French word bicche, and in 1555 the word bytch was found in an English dictionary, and then in 1842 was the first recording of the term bitch in the English language.

      While bitch is naturally an English word, it is not known for sure if it derived from French or German.  It is speculated though that it did derive from the French term bicche.  But it is not known whether these two terms actually have a relationship of meaning anything.

      The term bitch is used frequently amongst all age groups in society.  I have heard my mom say, �Quit your bitching.�  And my friends use it when they say, �You are a bitch!�  And I am not definite but I am pretty sure that I have heard my grandma say bitch at least once.  Although all generations use the term bitch, it is most frequently used amongst young people and teenagers.

      Unlike most slang terms, bitch has not had a change in meaning in the past five or ten years.  It has had the same �slang� definition since it entered the English language.

      Bitch can be used in many different situations.  I usually use the term when I am with my friends or other people my own age.  I would not call my mom or my professor a bitch.  Some of the situations that you might here bitch come from my mouth are when somebody snaps at me I would say, �Oh my gosh you are such a bitch!� Or if someone is constantly complaining I might say, �Quit your bitching!�

      Sometimes I use the word biatch in place of bitch when I am with my friends.  I think of it as a friendlier way of telling someone they are a bitch.  But usually when I say biatch I am just kidding around.  My favorite use of biatch is when I call someone a �biatch face.�  However, if the situation ever occurred to call my mom a bitch I would use neither of the two terms.

      So the next time you use the word bitch, stop and think if you are talking about a malicious woman or if you mean a female dog.  More than likely it will be the woman and not the dog.  Because bitch is used more frequently in when meaning the slang defintion, I think the dictionary definition should be a spiteful or lewd woman instead of a female dog or canine.