batman

American  

[bat-muhn] / ˈbæt mən /

noun

plural

batmen

1. a soldier assigned to an officer as a servant.

---

Batman ¹ British  

/ ˈbætmən /

noun

1. John . 1801–39, a pioneer who selected the site of the city of Melbourne

---

Batman ² British  

/ ˈbætˌmæn /

noun

1. a character in an American comic strip and several films who secretly assumes a batlike costume in order to fight crime

---

batman ³ British  

/ ˈbætmən /

noun

1. an officer's personal servant in any of the armed forces

---

Batman Cultural  

1. A comic strip character that first appeared in 1939. With his faithful sidekick Robin (the Boy Wonder), Batman fights crime in Gotham City, foiling evil villains such as the Joker and the Riddler.

---

Discover More

Batman's adventures have been widely adapted for television and a number of motion pictures.

Etymology

Origin of batman

1745–55; short for bat-horse man, equivalent to bat < French bât packsaddle (< Vulgar Latin *bastum, noun derivative of *bastāre to carry < Late Greek *bastân, re-formation of Greek bastázein to lift, carry) + horse + man

Example Sentences

Meet the real batman, Michael Morbius, the so-called Living Vampire.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2022

"His batman voice im losing it????" a fan wrote.

From Fox News • Oct. 16, 2021

There are other accounts of an officer with shell shock having to be physically restrained by his "burly batman".

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2016

There’s Bruce Wayne in an elegant tuxedo jacket with a not-so-discreet batman logo, carrying a leather backpack strapped to a skateboard.

From Washington Times • Jan. 16, 2016

He had been the Colonel's batman in the war, he explained; they had been in Belgium together when the Germans had invaded and they had been together again for the Allied landing.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro