batter

¹

[ bat-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to beat persistently or hard; pound repeatedly.

   Synonyms: pelt, smite, belabor

2. to damage by beating or hard usage:

   Rough roads had battered the car. High winds were battering the coast.

   Synonyms: ruin, destroy, shiver, shatter, smash, wound, bruise

verb (used without object)

1. to deal heavy, repeated blows; pound steadily:

   continuing to batter at the front door.

noun

1. Printing.
   1. a damaged area on the face of type or plate.
   2. the resulting defect in print.

batter

²

[ bat-er ]

noun

1. a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cooking.

verb (used with object)

1. to coat (an ingredient) with a mixture made from flour, milk, eggs, etc., especially as preparation for frying.

batter

³

[ bat-er ]

noun

Sports.

1. a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.

batter

⁴

[ bat-er ]

verb (used without object)

1. (of the face of a wall or the like) to slope backward and upward.

noun

1. a backward and upward slope of the face of a wall or the like.

batter

¹

/ ˈbætə /

verb

1. to hit (someone or something) repeatedly using heavy blows, as with a club or other heavy instrument; beat heavily
2. tr; often passive to damage or injure, as by blows, heavy wear, etc
3. tr social welfare to subject (a person, esp a close relative living in the same house) to repeated physical violence
4. tr to subject (a person, opinion, or theory) to harsh criticism; attack

batter

²

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, used to make cakes, pancakes, etc, and to coat certain foods before frying

batter

³

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. sport a player who bats

batter

⁴

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. the slope of the face of a wall that recedes gradually backwards and upwards

verb

1. intr to have such a slope

batter

⁵

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a spree or debauch

Word History and Origins

Origin of batter¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bateren, probably from Middle French, Old French batre “to beat,” with the French infinitive ending -re identified with -er ⁶; bate ²

Origin of batter²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bat(o)ur, bat(e)re, perhaps from Anglo-French bature, Old French bat(e)ure “act of beating,” equivalent to bat(re) “to beat” + -eure (from -ātūra assumed abstract noun suffix); reinforced by batter ¹; bate ², -ate ², -ure

Origin of batter³

First recorded in 1765–75; bat ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of batter⁴

First recorded in 1540–50; of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of batter¹

C14 bateren , probably from batten to bat ¹

Origin of batter²

C15 bater , probably from bateren to batter ¹

Origin of batter³

C16 (vb: to incline): of uncertain origin

Origin of batter⁴

C19: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Gonsolin made his longest rehab start yet Tuesday, giving up three earned runs while fanning five batters across four innings.

From Los Angeles Times

Take cornmeal: an ingredient most often associated with warm-weather classics like battered fish or cornbread.

From Salon

The Rockies scored two runs in the fourth on a two-out double by Jacob Stallings and Knack exited after retiring the first batter in the fifth, having reached a predetermined pitch count.

From Los Angeles Times

The passages recounting her shattered emotional state and her understandable fear of the sedatives that were administered to calm her, are terrifying in their battered simplicity and clarity of purpose.

From Los Angeles Times

Playoffs that could end with a battered yellow fire helmet perched atop Lord Stanley’s Cup.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dough