I. ˈbat ə n verb
( battened ; battened ; battening ˈbat( ə ) niŋ ; battens )
Etymology: probably from Old Norse batna to improve; akin to Old Norse betr better — more at better
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to grow fat : thrive by feeding
skepticism battening at the vitals of belief — C.J.Rolo
b. : to feed gluttonously : glut oneself — usually used with following on or upon
foreigners who had been battening on the carcass of the peninsula — G.C.Sellery
2. : to grow prosperous : thrive especially at the expense or to the detriment of another
the pilgrim … was expected to serve the state, not batten on it — Agnes Repplier
transitive verb
: to cause to thrive by feeding : fatten
we drove afield … battening our flocks with the fresh dews of night — John Milton
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: French bâton stick — more at baton
1.
a. : a strip of sawed timber that is usually seven inches wide, less than four inches thick, and more than six feet long and is used especially for flooring — compare board 3a
b. dialect England : a deal less than seven inches wide
2.
a. : a strip of wood used for nailing across two other pieces (as to hold them together or to cover a crack)
b.
(1) : a strip usually of wood used to strengthen or to help seal a structure
(2) : a reinforcing strip usually of wood attached to the end or base of a box, a barrelhead, or a crate
(3) : a piece of wood used to hold and strengthen loads in freight handling
3.
a. : a strip of light wood sewed into a ship's sail at approximately right angles to the leech to make it set flat
b. : an iron bar used to stretch and hold a tarpaulin over the hatch covers or gratings of a ship
c. : a strip of wood nailed or clamped around the edges of the covering of a ship's hatchway to hold it in place
d. : a strip of wood used to keep cargo away from the steel hull of a ship or to prevent it from shifting — see ship illustration
4. : a stripped log less than 11 inches in diameter at the small end
5.
a. : a thin strip usually of wood used in fairing a ship's lines in the mold loft
b. : a thin strip usually of wood used as an auxiliary for reference or measurement in erecting structures during the building of a ship or in setting up a dry dock to receive a ship
6.
a. : a length of wood or pipe suspended from the gridiron and used to support the scenery or lighting instruments in a theater
b. : a strip of lumber usually 1×3 inches used in the construction of stage scenery
c. : a strip of wood fastened to the top and bottom of a stage drop
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to furnish with battens
the wall had to be battened
2. : to fasten by or as if by means of battens — often used with down
had battened down his hatches long before the first gale winds began to blow — Bennett Cerf
intransitive verb
: to make oneself secure by or as if by battens — often used with down
we battened down at the first hurricane warning
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
dialect England : a bundle of straw
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: French battant, from present participle of battre to beat — more at bat
: the movable bar carrying the reed of a loom that strikes home each filling thread as it is interlaced with the warp by the passage of the shuttle
VI.
dialect
variant of batting