bat

nounnounverbverbnounnounnounnounnouncommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//bat//
Australia//bæt//
New Zealand//bɛt//

Any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.

noun

1
Any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.
The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.
2
An old woman.
"Isn't it lovely?" I smiled and thought: "Yes it is. It's also a Blackbird, you silly old bat!

Etymology

Dialectal variant of Middle English bakke, balke, of North Germanic origin (akin to dialectal Swedish natt-batta). Perhaps compare Old Norse (leðr)blaka (literally “(leather) flapper”), from leðr + blaka (“to flap”). Compare also Old Swedish natbakka, Old Danish nathbakkæ.

noun

1
A club, made of wood like a baseball bat or otherwise, used as a weapon
2
A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.
3
A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.
You've been in for ages. Can I have a bat now?
4
A player rated according to skill in batting.
He's a good fielder and a valuable bat.
5
The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.
6
Shale or bituminous shale.
bituminous shale ; which miners , if I mistake not , call bat
7
A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
8
A part of a brick with one whole end.
9
A stroke; a sharp blow.
10
A stroke of work.
11
informalRate of motion; speed.
On starting, The Nun led at a very slow pace for a quarter of a mile, when the Shrigley colt made running at a good bat.
a vast host of fowl […] making at full bat for the North Sea.
12
datedA spree; a jollification; a binge, jag.
13
Manner; rate; condition; state of health.
14
A rough walking stick.
So ſlides he dovvne vppon his greyned bat; / And comely diſtant ſits he by her ſide, […]

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰh₂-der.? Celticder.? Old English batt Old French batteinflu. Middle English bat English bat From Middle English bat, batte, from Old English batt (“bat, club, cudgel”), probably of Celtic origin, compare Old Breton bath (“club, cudgel”) and modern Breton bazh (“swagger stick”), ultimately from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰh₂- (“to strike, beat, pierce”), similar to the Gaulish source of Latin battuō (“to beat, pound”).

verb

1
To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.
He batted the ball away with a satisfying thwack.
We batted a few ideas around.
2
To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
3
To strike or swipe as though with a bat.
The cat batted at the toy.
4
obsoleteTo bate or flutter, as a hawk.

Etymology

From Middle English batten, baten (“to beat”), from Old French batre (“to beat”), from Late Latin battere, from Latin battuere, of uncertain origin; perhaps of Germanic or Celtic origin. In modern English reinterpreted as a verbal derivative of Etymology 2. Compare batter, battery.

verb

1
To flutter
to bat one’s eyelashes
2
To wink.
3
To flit quickly from place to place.
I’ve spent all week batting around the country.
The "Star" is batting along at about a mile a minute, chattering away at the chimney and snatching small coal off the shovel.

Etymology

Possibly a variant of bate.

noun

1
obsoleteA packsaddle.

Etymology

Borrowed from French bât, from Old French bast, from Vulgar Latin *bastum, form of *bastāre (“to carry”), from Ancient Greek βαστάζω (bastázō, “to lift, carry”). Doublet of baton and baston.

noun

1
Variant of bahtdatedDated form of baht (“Thai currency”).

noun

1
Variant of battyClipping of batty (“buttocks or anus”).

noun

1
obsoleteA child's shoe without a welt.
The retailer who sells a little girl a pretty pair of shoes today instead of a pair of bats, is bound to sell that girl, when she grows up, a pair of stylish $3 or $4 shoes instead of her buying a pair of $1.98 bargain bats elsewhere.
2
obsoleteA boot that is badly made or in poor condition.

noun

1
Variant of batteryslangClipping of battery.
All these things must sell... […] * Motorola Cell phone bat/case/no contract
[T]he razor was allways^([sic]) planed^([sic]) to be a thinner PalmIII with Li-Ion bat and a better LCD (i.e. less glare and more contrast)... […] You can replace it in the same way than^([sic]) the Cell Phone bat's...very easy !!!
where is cheapest place to buy laptop batt?
1 toshiba^([sic]) t2450ct laptop bat does not work but fine on power supply.

Forms

plural: bats
past tense: batted
past participle: batted
present participle: batting
third person singular: bats

Bass · A surname.bastard · A mongrel (biological cross between different breeds, groups…Bastard · A surname from Old French.

bat · Any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.

BAT · One or more of the Chinese technology companies Baidu,…batch · The quantity of bread or other baked goods baked at one time.Batch · A surname.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.