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

But I didn’t laugh at the time, I can tell you, because it meant two aunts playing battledore and shuttlecock.

From Project Gutenberg

When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry at being interrupted in his game.

From Project Gutenberg

Ping′-pong, a kind of indoor lawn-tennis, played with battledores or small rackets over a net on a table.

From Project Gutenberg

One trifling incident occurs to me as I write, the Poet’s remarkable skill at battledore.

From Project Gutenberg