n. & v.
--n.
1. a large tank or other vessel, esp. for holding liquids or something in liquid in the process of brewing, tanning, dyeing, etc.
2 a dyeing liquor in which a textile is soaked to take up a colourless soluble dye afterwards coloured by oxidation in air.
--v.tr. (vatted, vatting) place or treat in a vat.
Derivatives:
vatful n. (pl. -fuls).
Etymology: ME, southern & western var. of fat, OE f{aelig}t f. Gmc