The verb is derived from Middle English *battenen, *batnen, of North Germanic origin, probably from Old Norse batna (“to grow better, improve, recover”), from Proto-Germanic *batnaną (“to become better, improve”) (compare Old Norse bati (“advantage, improvement”), from Proto-Germanic *batô (“improvement, recovery”)), from *bataz (“good”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- (“good”). Compare battle (“(adjective) improving; fattening, nutritious; fertile, fruitful; (verb) to feed or nourish; to render (land, etc.) fertile or fruitful”) (obsolete).
The adjective is probably derived from the verb.
Cognates
* Dutch baten (“to avail, benefit, profit”)
* Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌽𐌰𐌽 (gabatnan, “to benefit, profit”)
* Icelandic batna (“to improve, recover”)
* Old English batian (“to get better, recover”)
Meanings
(obsolete) Synonym of battle (“of grass or pasture: nutritious to cattle or sheep; of land (originally pastureland) or soil: fertile, fruitful”).
The Soile for the moſt part is lifted vp into many hilles, parted aſunder vvith narrovv and ſhort vallies, and a ſhallovv earth doth couer their out-ſide, vvhich by a Sea-vveede called Orevvood, and a certaine kinde of fruitfull Sea-ſand, they make ſo ranke and batten, as is vncredible. 1627, John Speed, “Cornwall”, in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland Described and Abridged. […], London: […] Georg Humble […], →OCLC, signature [D6], verso, paragraph 3:
The verb is derived from Middle English *battenen, *batnen, of North Germanic origin, probably from Old Norse batna (“to grow better, improve, recover”), from Proto-Germanic *batnaną (“to become better, improve”) (compare Old Norse bati (“advantage, improvement”), from Proto-Germanic *batô (“improvement, recovery”)), from *bataz (“good”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- (“good”). Compare battle (“(adjective) improving; fattening, nutritious; fertile, fruitful; (verb) to feed or nourish; to render (land, etc.) fertile or fruitful”) (obsolete).
The adjective is probably derived from the verb.
Cognates
* Dutch baten (“to avail, benefit, profit”)
* Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌽𐌰𐌽 (gabatnan, “to benefit, profit”)
* Icelandic batna (“to improve, recover”)
* Old English batian (“to get better, recover”)
Meanings
(obsolete, transitive) To cause (an animal, etc.) to become fat or thrive through plenteous feeding; to fatten.
VVe drove a field, and both together heard / VVhat time the Gray-fly vvinds her ſultry horn, / Batt'ning our flocks vvith the freſh devvs of night, […] 1637 (date written; published 1638), John Milton, “Lycidas”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 58:
(obsolete, rare, transitive) To enrich or fertilize (land, soil, etc.).
[O]thers [i.e., rivers] ariſing and running thorovv this Shire, doe ſo batten the ground, that the Medovves euen in the midſt of VVinter grovv greene; […] 1612 (indicated as 1611), John Speed, “Stafford-shire”, in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine: Presenting an Exact Geography of the Kingdomes of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the Iles Adioyning: […], London: […] [William Hall] […] and are to be solde by Iohn Sudbury & Georg Humble, […], →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2022, paragraph 6, page 69:
(intransitive) To become better; to improve in condition; especially of animals, by feeding; to fatten up.
Like enough, Sir, ſhee'll doe forty ſuch things in an houre (an you liſten to her) for her recreation, if the toy take her i'the greaſie kerchiefe: it makes her fat you ſee. Shee battens vvith it. 1614 November 10 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Beniamin Iohnson [i.e., Ben Jonson], Bartholmew Fayre: A Comedie, […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1631, →OCLC, Act II, scene iii, page 21:
No, let him batten; when his tongue / Once goes, a cat is not worse strung. c. 1588 (date written; published 1591), John Lyly, Endimion, the Man in the Moone. […], London: […] I[ohn] Charlewood, for the widdowe Broome, →OCLC; republished George P[ierce] Baker, editor, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, 1894, →OCLC, Act III, scene iii, page 50, lines 1126–1127:
Our vvomen batten vvell on their good-nature; / All they can rap and rend for the dear creature. 1684, John Dryden, “Prologue to the Dissappointment: Or, The Mother in Fashion. [By Mr. [Thomas] Southerne, 1684.] Spoken by Mr. [Thomas] Betterton.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 349:
[S]ome fell ſerpent in his cave expects / The traveller's approach, batten'd vvith herbs / Of baneful juice to fury, forth he looks / Hideous, and lies coil'd all around his den. 1791, Homer, “[The Iliad.] Book XXII.”, in W[illiam] Cowper, transl., The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, Translated into Blank Verse, […], volume I, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 577, lines 106–109:
Sure he preſum'd of praiſe, vvho came to ſtock / Th' etherial paſtures vvith ſo fair a flock; / Burniſh'd, and bat'ning on their food, to ſhovv / The diligence of carefull herds belovv. 1687, [John Dryden], “[The First Part]”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 22:
VVe eate our ovvne, and batten more, / Becauſe vve feed on no mans ſcore: / But pitie thoſe vvhoſe flanks grovv great, / Svvel'd vvith the Lard of others meat. 1648, Robert Herrick, “His Content in the Country”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 233:
(intransitive) Of land, soil, etc.: to become fertile; also, of plants: to grow lush.
(intransitive, qualifier:often passive voice) Followed by on: to eat greedily; to glut.
The strong carnivorous eagle, shall wheel down / To meet thee,—self-called to a daily feast,— / And set his fierce beak in thee, and tear off / The long rags of thy flesh, and batten deep / Upon thy dusky liver! 1850, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Prometheus Bound. From the Greek of Æschylus.”, in Poems. […], new edition, volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 187:
Could you on this faire Mountaine leaue to feed, / And batten on this Moore? c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], page 271, column 1:
As at full length the pamper'd Monarch lay, / Batt'ning in eaſe, and ſlumbring Life avvay / A ſpightful noiſe his dovvny Chains unties, / Haſtes forvvard, and encreaſes as it flies. 1699, [Samuel Garth], “Canto I”, in The Dispensary; a Poem, London: […] John Nutt […], →OCLC, page 5:
The brain had its own food on which it battened, and the imagination, made grotesque by terror, twisted and distorted as a living thing by pain, danced like some foul puppet on a stand and grinned through moving masks. 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter XIV, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 248:
Follovv your Function, go, and batten on colde bits. c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v], page 22, column 1:
There hath he lain for ages and will lie / Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep, […] 1830, Alfred Tennyson, “The Kraken”, in The Complete Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson, Chicago, Ill.: The Dominion Company, published 1897, →OCLC, page 8:
(figuratively, intransitive) Followed by on: to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others.
Robber barons who battened on the poor
There, in these Dens of Satan, […] do Sieur Motier's mouchards consort and colleague; battening vampyre-like on a People next-door to starvation. 1837, Thomas Carlyle, “The Wakeful”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume II (The Constitution), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, book III (The Tuileries), page 108:
(figuratively, intransitive) To gloat at; to revel in.
(figuratively, intransitive) To gratify a morbid appetite or craving.
[T]here are sceptics with a taste for carrion who batten on the hideous facts in history, – persecutions, inquisitions, St. Bartholomew massacres, devilish lives, Nero, Cæsar, Borgia, Marat, Lopez, – men in whom every ray of humanity was extinguished, parricides, matricides, and whatever moral monsters. 1870, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Courage”, in Society and Solitude. Twelve Chapters, Boston, Mass.: Fields, Osgood, & Co., →OCLC, page 247:
[H]opes he may / VVith charmes, like Æson, haue his youth reſtor'd: / And vvith theſe thoughts ſo battens, as if fate / VVould be as eaſily cheated on, as he, / And all turnes aire! 1605 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Volpone, or The Foxe. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act I, scene iiii, page 461:
fi mässäillä (to gratify a morbid appetite or craving) · fi voimistua (to become better; to improve in condition) · ru отка́рмливать (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · de gedeihen (to become better; to improve in condition) · fi lihoa (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others) · fi vihannoida (of plants: to grow lush) · es mejorar (to become better; to improve in condition) · bg угоявам (to become better; to improve in condition) · es cebar (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · de sich an etwas weiden (to gratify a morbid appetite or craving) · fi viljavoitua (of land, soil, etc.: to become fertile) · de es sich an etwas gütlich tun (to gratify a morbid appetite or craving) · fi lihoa (to become better; to improve in condition) · de aufpäppeln (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · ru нажива́ться (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others) · fi vahvistua (to become better; to improve in condition) · de sich ergötzen (to gratify a morbid appetite or craving) · ru откорми́ть (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · de gedeihen (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others) · ru отъе́сться (to become better; to improve in condition) · ru нажи́ться (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others) · fi lihottaa (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · ru отъеда́ться (to become better; to improve in condition) · es medrar (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others) · mk го́и (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · hu hizlal (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · de mästen (especially of animals: to improve in condition by feeding — see also fatten up) · es aprovecharse (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others) · de schmarotzen (to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others)
The noun is from Middle English bataunt, batent (“finished bar or board (as for panelling)”), from Old French batent (“a beating”), a noun use of the present participle form of batre (“to beat, hit, strike”), from Late Latin battere, the present active infinitive of battō (“to beat”), from Latin battuō (“(very rare) to beat, hit, strike”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ-, *bʰedʰh₂- (“to pierce; to stab”) or *bʰat- (“to hit”), ultimately onomatopoeic.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Meanings
A plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, to provide a fixing point, to strengthen, or to prevent warping.
(specifically) A strip of wood holding a number of lamps; especially (theater), one used for illuminating a stage; (by extension, also attributive) a long bar, usually metal, affixed to the ceiling or fly system and used to support curtains, scenery, etc.
(specifically) A long, narrow strip, originally of wood but now also of fibreglass, metal, etc., used for various purposes aboard a ship; especially one attached to a mast or spar for protection, one holding down the edge of a tarpaulin covering a hatch to prevent water from entering the hatch, one inserted in a pocket sewn on a sail to keep it flat, or one from which a hammock is suspended.
The next morning, we took the battens from the hatches, and opened the ship. 1840, R[ichard] H[enry] D[ana], Jr., chapter XXIX, in Two Years before the Mast. […] (Harper’s Family Library; no. CVI), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], →OCLC, page 326:
She was too sick to get out of bed, and he was not able to hoist her up without assistance; […] we were permitted to come in and hoist her ladyship up again to the battens. 1840, [Frederick] Marryat, “In which, Like Most People, who Tell Their Own Stories, I Begin with the Histories of Other People”, in Poor Jack. […], London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], →OCLC, page 6:
In carvel construction, the planks which cover the sides of the vessel lie alongside one another without overlapping and the seams are calked. Where the construction is too light to admit calking, a narrow batten or ribband is run along the seams inside. 1972 September 1, “Basic Construction of Small Boats and Ships”, in Marine Crewman’s Handbook (Technical Manual; 55-501), Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army, →OCLC, section II (The Construction of Small Boats), page 12-3:
(specifically) The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.
ar فَسْقِيَّة (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ms kayu tetulang (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · he שְׂחִיף (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · de Leiste (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · de Latte (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ca sabre (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · it stecca (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · mk шти́ца (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ru доска́ (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · nn taklekte (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · nn hekte (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · haw ʻaho lolo (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · cs lišta (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · hu léc (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · bg вътъл (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · cs lať (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · pl bidło (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · gsw Schiie (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · se bielka (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · gl pértega (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · scn lapazza (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · hu szegélyléc (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · cs tes (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · pl łata (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ru ла́ты (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · ru ла́та (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · lv dēlis (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fr volige (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · sh šȋndra (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · es filete (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · it lapazza (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi vuorilista (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · eo lato (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · pl listwa (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi latta (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · hu hézagtakaró (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · es ristrel (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · de Segellatte (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · mg fanantana (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · pl sztankiet (long bar affixed to the ceiling or fly system and used to support curtains, etc.) · it serretta (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · ru тёс (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · szl lajsta (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi puulista (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · hu hézagtakaró léc (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · es barreta (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · wym łȧjst (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi soiro (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi tukipuu (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi putki (strip of wood holding a number of lamps; especially (theater), one used for illuminating a stage) · it tavolone (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · bg ла́та (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · de Lade (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · ms kasau (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · nl plint (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · de Weberlade (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · hu deszka (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · cs palubka (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · gl fieira (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · mk ле́тва (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · ar فِسْقِيَّة (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · nv bee ákʼíʼníltłishí (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · es listón (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi lasta (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · ro vătală (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · pl listwa (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · es alfarda (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi tanko (strip of wood holding a number of lamps; especially (theater), one used for illuminating a stage) · fi lista (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · sh ши̑ндра (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · de Diele (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · uk тес (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · nv bee níkʼíʼníltłish (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · uk ла́та (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · ru ры́бина (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · de Latte (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · it corrente (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · cmn 壓條 /压条 (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ro liț (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ckv bRina (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · fi tanko (long bar affixed to the ceiling or fly system and used to support curtains, etc.) · bg вътел (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · ru дра́нка (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · uby қауар (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · sv lattor (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · mi kaho (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · cs lajsna (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ru ла́та (long, narrow strip used for various purposes aboard a ship) · bg дъска́ (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ms papan lantai (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · nb labank (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · mi pātene (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · de Dachlatte (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · fi rima (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ru ре́йка (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · mi tūmatahuki (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · bg ватал (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · gv claare (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · ru пла́нка (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · bg ватъл (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · mk ле́тва (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · cmn 壓枝 /压枝 (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.) · la spatha (movable bar of a loom — see also beater, lathe) · hu palló (plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, etc.)
The noun is from Middle English bataunt, batent (“finished bar or board (as for panelling)”), from Old French batent (“a beating”), a noun use of the present participle form of batre (“to beat, hit, strike”), from Late Latin battere, the present active infinitive of battō (“to beat”), from Latin battuō (“(very rare) to beat, hit, strike”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ-, *bʰedʰh₂- (“to pierce; to stab”) or *bʰat- (“to hit”), ultimately onomatopoeic.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Meanings
(transitive) To furnish (something) with battens (noun etymology 2, noun sense 1).
(transitive) Chiefly followed by down: to fasten or secure (a hatch, opening, etc.) using battens (noun etymology 2, noun sense 2.2).
Nail down the lid; caulk the seams; pay over the same with pitch; batten them down tight, and hang it with the snap-spring over the ship's stern. Were ever such things done before with a coffin? 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Life-buoy”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 580:
ru задраивать (to fasten or secure (a hatch, etc.) using battens) · de Schotten dicht machen (to fasten or secure (a hatch, etc.) using battens) · hu bedeszkáz (to furnish (something) with battens) · cs zatlouct latěmi (to furnish (something) with battens) · fi kiinnittää latoilla (to fasten or secure (a hatch, etc.) using battens) · hu bedeszkáz (to fasten or secure (a hatch, etc.) using battens) · hu léccel/deszkával megerősít/megszegez (to fasten or secure (a hatch, etc.) using battens) · de auslatten (to furnish (something) with battens) · fi listoittaa (to furnish (something) with battens) · cs zabednit (to furnish (something) with battens)