batter 1
/bat"euhr/ , v.t.
1. to beat persistently or hard; pound repeatedly.
2. to damage by beating or hard usage: Rough roads had battered the car. High winds were battering the coast.
v.i.
3. to deal heavy, repeated blows; pound steadily: continuing to batter at the front door.
n.
4. Print.
a. a damaged area on the face of type or plate.
b. the resulting defect in print.
[ 1300-50; ME bateren, prob. batre to beat (see BATE 2 ), with the inf. ending identified with -ER 6 ; cf. AF baterer ]
Syn. 1. belabor, smite, pelt. 2. bruise, wound; smash, shatter, shiver; destroy, ruin.
batter 2
/bat"euhr/ , n.
1. a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cookery.
v.t.
2. to coat with batter.
[ 1350-1400; ME bat ( o ) ur, bat ( e ) re, perh. bature, OF bat ( e ) ure act of beating ( bat ( re ) to beat (see BATE 2 ) + -eure -atura; see -ATE 2 , -URE), reinforced by BATTER 1 ]
batter 3
/bat"euhr/ , n.
a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.
[ 1765-75; BAT 1 + -ER 1 ]
batter 4
/bat"euhr/ , Archit.
v.i.
1. (of the face of a wall or the like) to slope backward and upward.
n.
2. a backward and upward slope of the face of a wall or the like.
[ 1540-50; of obscure orig. ]