Bias
/ˈbaɪ.əs/noun
A tendency to favor one person, side, or outcome over another, often unfairly.
Did you know?In English, bias first appeared through French in the 1500s, and its original sense was a literal sloping line or diagonal direction before it became a metaphor for a mind that “leans” one way.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
epikarsios
“slanting, diagonal”
Late Latin
Latin
bīāsis
“a slant or diagonal”
Old Provençal
OC
biais
“slant, oblique direction”
Middle French
French
biais
“slant, sideways direction; figuratively, a way, manner”
16th Century
English
bias
“a slanting line or direction; later, an inclination or prejudice”
Modern English
English
bias
“a tendency to favor one thing over another, especially unfairly”