battledore

[ bat-l-dawr ]

noun

1. Also called bat·tle·dore and shut·tle·cock [bat, -l-dawr , uh, n , shuht, -l-kok]. a game from which badminton was developed, played since ancient times in India and other Asian countries.
2. a light racket for striking the shuttlecock in this game.
3. a 17th- and 18th-century hornbook of wood or cardboard, used as a child's primer.

verb (used with or without object)

, bat·tle·dored, bat·tle·dor·ing.

1. to toss or fly back and forth:

   to battledore the plan among one's colleagues.

battledore

/ ˈbætəlˌdɔː /

noun

1. Also calledbattledore and shuttlecock an ancient racket game
2. a light racket, smaller than a tennis racket, used for striking the shuttlecock in this game
3. (formerly) a wooden utensil used for beating clothes, in baking, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of battledore¹

1400–50; late Middle English batyldo ( u ) re washing beetle, equivalent to batyl to beat (clothes) in washing (frequentative of bat ¹ ) + -dore dung beetle ( beetle ¹ for beetle ² by way of pun, with allusion to filth on clothes). See dor ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of battledore¹

C15 batyldoure , perhaps from Old Provençal batedor a beater, from Old French battre to beat, batter ¹

Example Sentences

But I stayed out a few minutes longer with Adèle and Pilot—ran a race with her, and played a game of battledore and shuttlecock.

From Literature

Jane Austen knew how to have a good time — quilting, gardening, whist — and in 1808 she wrote to her sister that she and her nephew had taken up a lawn game, battledore and shuttlecock, a precursor of badminton.

From New York Times

They had a campaign to censor and suppress it,” said Justin Schiller, founder and president of Kingston, New York-based Battledore Ltd., a dealer in antiquarian books who is selling the card.

From Fox News

They had a campaign to censor and suppress it,” said Justin Schiller, founder and president of Kingston, New York-based Battledore Ltd., a dealer in antiquarian books who is selling the card.

From Washington Times

They had a campaign to censor and suppress it,” said Justin Schiller, founder and president of Kingston, New York-based Battledore Ltd., a dealer in antiquarian books who is selling the card.

From Seattle Times