bated

 
Pronunciation: /ˈbeɪtɪd/

adjective

(in phrase with bated breath)
  • in great suspense; very anxiously or excitedly: he waited for a reply to his offer with bated breath

Origin:

late 16th century: from the past participle of obsolete bate 'restrain', from abate

The spelling baited breath instead of bated breath is a common mistake. Almost a third of citations for this idiom in the Oxford English Corpus are for the incorrect spelling.