n.
Pronunciation: b ə - ' tän, ba- also ' ba-t ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: French bâton, from Old French baston, ultimately from Late Latin bastum stick
Date: 1520
1 : CUDGEL , TRUNCHEON specifically : BILLY CLUB
2 : a staff borne as a symbol of office
3 : a narrow heraldic bend
4 : a slender rod with which a leader directs a band or orchestra
5 : a hollow cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner
6 : a hollow metal rod with a weighted bulb at one or both ends that is flourished or twirled by a drum major or drum majorette