[ba.ton] n [F baton, fr. OF baston, fr. LL bastum stick] (1520) 1: cudgel, truncheon; specif: 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