I. ˈvat noun
Etymology: Middle English fat, vat, from Old English fæt; akin to Old High German vaz vessel, Lithuanian puodas pot
Date: 12th century
1. : a large vessel (as a cistern, tub, or barrel) especially for holding liquors in an immature state or preparations for dyeing or tanning
2. : a liquor containing a dye converted into a soluble reduced colorless or weakly colored form that on textile material steeped in the liquor and exposed to the air is converted by oxidation to the original insoluble dye and precipitated in the fiber
II. transitive verb
( vat·ted ; vat·ting )
Date: 1784
: to put into or treat in a vat