bias /bī″əs/ [MFr, biais] , 1. an oblique or a diagonal line. 2. a prejudiced or subjective attitude. 3. (in statistics) the distortion of statistical findings from the true value. There can be many kinds of bias; some may be caused by the sampling process, but bias can be caused by other factors. 4. (in electronics) a voltage applied to an electronic device, such as a vacuum tube or a transistor, to control operating limits. See also detection bias.
