BATON


Meaning of BATON in English

I. ba·ton bəˈtän, baˈ-, -ˈtäⁿ, -tōⁿ sometimes -tȯn; also ˈbaˌ ̷ ̷ or US sometimes and Brit usually ˈbat ə n noun

( -s )

Etymology: French bâton, from Old French baston — more at baston

1. : a club used as a weapon : cudgel , truncheon ; especially : a policeman's billy

2. : a staff borne as a symbol of office

the baton of a field marshal

3. heraldry

a. : a narrow bend

b. : a narrow bend with the ends cut off that is borne sinister and used as a mark of illegitimate descent in English heraldry

4. : a stick or wand with which a leader directs a band or orchestra

5. also baton de com·man·de·ment bȧtōⁿdəkȯmäⁿd(ə) mäⁿ, bȧtōⁿtk- : an artifact of Aurignacian and later paleolithic times consisting of a reindeer or stag horn having one or more perforations and usually engraved or carved and possibly used as a shaft straightener — compare arrow straightener

6. : a hollow wooden, paper, or plastic cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner in the exchange zone

7.

a. : a long loaf of bread

b. : a thin short stick made of bread or pastry dough and sometimes flavored (as with cheese)

8. : a smooth staff weighted with a ball at one end for balance and carried by a drum major or baton twirler

II. bat·on ˈbat ə n transitive verb

( batoned ; batoned ; batoning ˈbat( ə )niŋ ; batons )

: to beat or strike with a baton : cudgel

threatened to baton him to death — Sir Walter Scott

III. ba·ton bəˈtän, baˈ- sometimes -ˈtȯn also ˈbaˌ ̷ ̷ intransitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

: to lead a band or orchestra : conduct

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.