batten

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See also: Batten

English[edit]

WOTD – 7 October 2023

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

The verb is derived from Middle English *battenen, *batnen, of North Germanic origin, probably from Old Norse batna (“to grow better, improve, recover”),[1] from Proto-Germanic *batnaną (“to become better, improve”) (compare Old Norse bati (“advantage, improvement”), from Proto-Germanic *batô (“improvement, recovery”)),[2] from *bataz (“good”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- (“good”). Compare battle (“(adjective) improving; fattening, nutritious; fertile, fruitful; (verb) to feed or nourish; to render (land, etc.) fertile or fruitful”) (obsolete).

The adjective is probably derived from the verb.[3]

cognates

Verb[edit]

batten (third-person singular simple present battens, present participle battening, simple past and past participle battened)

  1. (transitive, obsolete)
    1. To cause (an animal, etc.) to become fat or thrive through plenteous feeding; to fatten.
      Synonyms: fleshen, stouten
    2. (rare) To enrich or fertilize (land, soil, etc.).
      • 1612 (indicated as 1611), John Speed, “Stafford-shire”, in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine: Presenting an Exact Geography of the Kingdomes of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the Iles Adioyning: […]‎[1], London: […] [William Hall] […] and are to be solde by Iohn Sudbury & Georg Humble, […], →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-07-15, paragraph 6, page 69:
        [O]thers [i.e., rivers] ariſing and running thorovv this Shire, doe ſo batten the ground, that the Medovves euen in the midſt of VVinter grovv greene; […]
  2. (intransitive)
    1. To become better; to improve in condition; especially of animals, by feeding; to fatten up. [from late 16th c.]
      Synonyms: fleshen, stouten
    2. Of land, soil, etc.: to become fertile; also, of plants: to grow lush.
    3. (often passive voice) Followed by on: to eat greedily; to glut.
      • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], page 271, column 1:
        Could you on this faire Mountaine leaue to feed, / And batten on this Moore?
      • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v], page 22, column 1:
        Follovv your Function, go, and batten on colde bits.
      • 1699, [Samuel Garth], “Canto I”, in The Dispensary: A Poem. […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Nutt […], →OCLC, page 6:
        As at full length the pamper'd Monarch lay, / Batt'ning in Eaſe, and ſlumb'ring Life avvay: / A ſpightful Noiſe his dovvny Chains unties, / Haſtes forvvard, and encreaſes as it flies.
      • 1830, Alfred Tennyson, “The Kraken”, in The Complete Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson, Chicago, Ill.: The Dominion Company, published 1897, →OCLC, page 8:
        There hath he lain for ages and will lie / Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep, […]
      • 1850, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Prometheus Bound. From the Greek of Æschylus.”, in Poems. […], new edition, volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 187:
        The strong carnivorous eagle, shall wheel down / To meet thee,—self-called to a daily feast,— / And set his fierce beak in thee, and tear off / The long rags of thy flesh, and batten deep / Upon thy dusky liver!
      • 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter XIV, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 248:
        The brain had its own food on which it battened, and the imagination, made grotesque by terror, twisted and distorted as a living thing by pain, danced like some foul puppet on a stand and grinned through moving masks.
    4. (figurative) Followed by on: to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others.
      Robber barons who battened on the poor
    5. (figurative) To gloat at; to revel in.
    6. (figurative) To gratify a morbid appetite or craving.
      • 1605 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Volpone, or The Foxe. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act I, scene iiii, page 461:
        [H]opes he may / VVith charmes, like Æson, haue his youth reſtor'd: / And vvith theſe thoughts ſo battens, as if fate / VVould be as eaſily cheated on, as he, / And all turnes aire!
      • 1870, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Courage”, in Society and Solitude. Twelve Chapters, Boston, Mass.: Fields, Osgood, & Co., →OCLC, page 247:
        [T]here are sceptics with a taste for carrion who batten on the hideous facts in history, – persecutions, inquisitions, St. Bartholomew massacres, devilish lives, Nero, Cæsar, Borgia, Marat, Lopez, – men in whom every ray of humanity was extinguished, parricides, matricides, and whatever moral monsters.
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of batten
infinitive (to) batten
present tense past tense
1st-person singular batten battened
2nd-person singular batten, battenest† battened, battenedst†
3rd-person singular battens, batteneth† battened
plural batten
subjunctive batten battened
imperative batten —
participles battening battened

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to eat greedily — see glut
to gloat at; to revel in — see gloat,‎ revel

Adjective[edit]

batten (comparative more batten, superlative most batten)

  1. (obsolete) Synonym of battle (“of grass or pasture: nutritious to cattle or sheep; of land (originally pastureland) or soil: fertile, fruitful”)
    (of land or soil): Synonym: (dialectal or obsolete) batful
    • 1627, John Speed, “Cornwall”, in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland Described and Abridged. […], London: […] Georg Humble […], →OCLC, signature [D6], verso, paragraph 3:
      The Soile for the moſt part is lifted vp into many hilles, parted aſunder vvith narrovv and ſhort vallies, and a ſhallovv earth doth couer their out-ſide, vvhich by a Sea-vveede called Orevvood, and a certaine kinde of fruitfull Sea-ſand, they make ſo ranke and batten, as is vncredible.

Etymology 2[edit]

The gaps between the wooden planks of this stabbur, or granary on stilts, in Løvøy in Steigen, Nordland, Norway, are covered with battens (the protruding strips; sense 1).
A batten (sense 2.1) holding the lighting equipment used to illuminate a theatre stage.
Battens (sense 2.2) which are inserted into pockets sewn on sails to keep them flat.

The noun is from Middle English bataunt, batent (“finished bar or board (as for panelling)”),[4] from Old French batent (“a beating”), a noun use of the present participle form of batre (“to beat, hit, strike”), from Late Latin battere, the present active infinitive of battō (“to beat”), from Latin battuō (“(very rare) to beat, hit, strike”);[5] further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ-, *bʰedʰh₂- (“to pierce; to stab”) or *bʰat- (“to hit”), ultimately onomatopoeic.

The verb is derived from the noun.[6]

Noun[edit]

batten (plural battens)

  2. (carpentry, construction) A plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, to provide a fixing point, to strengthen, or to prevent warping.
    Hyponyms: counterlath, (Australia) dropper, jackstay, studding
  3. (specifically)
    2. A strip of wood holding a number of lamps; especially (theater), one used for illuminating a stage; (by extension, also attributive) a long bar, usually metal, affixed to the ceiling or fly system and used to support curtains, scenery, etc.
    4. (nautical) A long, narrow strip, originally of wood but now also of fibreglass, metal, etc., used for various purposes aboard a ship; especially one attached to a mast or spar for protection, one holding down the edge of a tarpaulin covering a hatch to prevent water from entering the hatch, one inserted in a pocket sewn on a sail to keep it flat, or one from which a hammock is suspended.
      • 1840, R[ichard] H[enry] D[ana], Jr., chapter XXIX, in Two Years before the Mast. […] (Harper’s Family Library; no. CVI), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], →OCLC, page 326:
        The next morning, we took the battens from the hatches, and opened the ship.
      • 1840, [Frederick] Marryat, “In which, Like Most People, who Tell Their Own Stories, I Begin with the Histories of Other People”, in Poor Jack. […], London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], →OCLC, page 6:
        She was too sick to get out of bed, and he was not able to hoist her up without assistance; […] we were permitted to come in and hoist her ladyship up again to the battens.
      • 1972 September 1, “Basic Construction of Small Boats and Ships”, in Marine Crewman’s Handbook (Technical Manual; 55-501), Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army, →OCLC, section II (The Construction of Small Boats), page 12-3:
        In carvel construction, the planks which cover the sides of the vessel lie alongside one another without overlapping and the seams are calked. Where the construction is too light to admit calking, a narrow batten or ribband is run along the seams inside.
    5. (weaving) The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.
Alternative forms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

batten (third-person singular simple present battens, present participle battening, simple past and past participle battened) (transitive)

  1. To furnish (something) with battens (noun sense 1).
  2. (chiefly nautical) Chiefly followed by down: to fasten or secure (a hatch, opening, etc.) using battens (noun sense 2.2).
    Antonym: unbatten
    • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Life-buoy”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 580:
      Nail down the lid; caulk the seams; pay over the same with pitch; batten them down tight, and hang it with the snap-spring over the ship's stern. Were ever such things done before with a coffin?
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “batten2, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ “batten, v.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  3. ^ “† batten, adj.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  4. ^ “bataunt, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. ^ “batten1, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022; compare “batten, n.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  6. ^ “batten, v.2”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023; “batten1, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading[edit]

German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Debated. A comparable form is synonymous Dutch baten, which pertains to the Germanic root at hand in English batten and better. At least a secondary relation with this Dutch verb seems certain. However, its regular cognate is Old High German bazzen (“to batten”), which would have led to modern *bassen, bässen. Mere borrowing from Low German or Dutch is unlikely since the verb has -t- in western Upper German and a corresponding -d- in many dialects of West Central German. Possibly two distinct roots have been merged.

Verb[edit]

batten (weak, third-person singular present battet, past tense battete, past participle gebattet, auxiliary haben)

  1. (obsolete, western Germany) to be useful, to be of use, to help
    Synonyms: nutzen, nützen

Conjugation[edit]

Conjugation of batten (weak, auxiliary haben)
infinitive batten
present participle battend
past participle gebattet
auxiliary haben
indicative subjunctive
singular plural singular plural
present ich batte wir batten i ich batte wir batten
du battest ihr battet du battest ihr battet
er battet sie batten er batte sie batten
preterite ich battete wir batteten ii ich battete1 wir batteten1
du battetest ihr battetet du battetest1 ihr battetet1
er battete sie batteten er battete1 sie batteten1
imperative batt (du)
batte (du) 		battet (ihr)

1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.

Composed forms of batten (weak, auxiliary haben)
perfect
singular plural singular plural
indicative ich habe gebattet wir haben gebattet subjunctive ich habe gebattet wir haben gebattet
du hast gebattet ihr habt gebattet du habest gebattet ihr habet gebattet
er hat gebattet sie haben gebattet er habe gebattet sie haben gebattet
pluperfect
indicative ich hatte gebattet wir hatten gebattet subjunctive ich hätte gebattet wir hätten gebattet
du hattest gebattet ihr hattet gebattet du hättest gebattet ihr hättet gebattet
er hatte gebattet sie hatten gebattet er hätte gebattet sie hätten gebattet
future i
infinitive batten werden subjunctive i ich werde batten wir werden batten
du werdest batten ihr werdet batten
er werde batten sie werden batten
indicative ich werde batten wir werden batten subjunctive ii ich würde batten wir würden batten
du wirst batten ihr werdet batten du würdest batten ihr würdet batten
er wird batten sie werden batten er würde batten sie würden batten
future ii
infinitive gebattet haben werden subjunctive i ich werde gebattet haben wir werden gebattet haben
du werdest gebattet haben ihr werdet gebattet haben
er werde gebattet haben sie werden gebattet haben
indicative ich werde gebattet haben wir werden gebattet haben subjunctive ii ich würde gebattet haben wir würden gebattet haben
du wirst gebattet haben ihr werdet gebattet haben du würdest gebattet haben ihr würdet gebattet haben
er wird gebattet haben sie werden gebattet haben er würde gebattet haben sie würden gebattet haben
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