Chapter 136

Kirwan.

3. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.

4. A part of a brick with one whole end.

Bat bolt (Machinery) , a bolt barbed or jagged at its butt or tang to make it hold the more firmly.

Knight.

Bat <Xpage=124>

Bat , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Batted (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Batting .] To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat.

Holland.

Bat <Xpage=124>

Bat , v. i. To use a bat, as in a game of baseball.

Bat <Xpage=124>

Bat , n. [Corrupt. from OE. back , backe , balke ; cf. Dan. aften-bakke]/> ( aften evening ), Sw. natt-backa]/> ( natt night), Icel. le<?/r-blaka]/> ( le<?/r leather), Icel. blaka to flutter.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the Cheiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire .

Bat tick (Zo\'94l.) , a wingless, dipterous insect of the genus Nycteribia , parasitic on bats.

Batable <Xpage=124>

Bat"a*ble (?) , a. [Abbrev. from debatable .] Disputable. [Obs.]

&hand; The border land between England and Scotland, being formerly a subject of contention, was called batable or debatable ground.

Batailled <Xpage=124>

Bat"ailled (?) , a. Embattled. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Batardeau <Xpage=124>

Ba`tar*deau" (?) , n. [F.] 1. A cofferdam.

Brande & C.

2. (Mil.) A wall built across the ditch of a fortification, with a sluice gate to regulate the height of water in the ditch on both sides of the wall.

Batatas, Batata <Xpage=124>

Ba*ta"tas (?) , Ba*ta"ta (?) , n. An aboriginal American name for the sweet potato ( Ipom\'91a batatas ).

Batavian <Xpage=124>

Ba*ta"vi*an (?) , a. Of or pertaining to (a) the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe; or to (b) <?/atavia or Holland; as, a Batavian legion .

Batavian Republic , the name given to Holland by the French after its conquest in 1795.

Batavian <Xpage=124>

Ba*ta"vi*an , n. A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. [R.]

Bancroft.

Batch <Xpage=124>

Batch (?) , n. [OE. bache , bacche , fr. AS. bacan to bake; cf. G. geb\'84ck and D. baksel . See Bake , v. t. ]

1. The quantity of bread baked at one time.

2. A quantity of anything produced at one operation; a group or collection of persons or things of the same kind; as, a batch of letters; the next batch of business. "A new batch of Lords."

Lady M. W. Montagu.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate (?) , n. [Prob. abbrev. from debate .] Strife; contention. [Obs.]

Shak.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating .] [From abate .] 1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower.

He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay him. Locke.

2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction.

To whom he bates nothing or what he stood upon with the parliament. South.

3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.]

Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood. He lies that says it. Beau. & Fl.

4. To remove. [Obs.]

About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay them bare. Holland.

5. To deprive of. [Obs.]

When baseness is exalted, do not bate The place its honor for the person's sake. Herbert.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , v. i. 1. To remit or retrench a part; -- with of .

Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. Dryden.

2. To waste away. [Obs.]

Shak.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate (?) , v. t. To attack; to bait. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , imp. of Bite . [Obs.]

Spenser.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , v. i. [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.] To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.]

Bacon.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , n. (Jewish Antiq.) See 2d Bath .

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , n. [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize , and E. bite .] An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; -- employed in the preparation of hides; grainer.

Knight.

Bate <Xpage=124>

Bate , v. t. To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather.

Bateau <Xpage=124>

Ba*teau" (?) , n. ; pl. Bateaux (#) . [F. bateau , LL. batellus , fr. battus , batus , boa , which agrees with AS. b\'bet boat: cf. W. bad boat. See Boat , n. ] A boat; esp. a flat-bottomed, clumsy boat used on the Canadian lakes and rivers. [Written also, but less properly, batteau .]

Bateau bridge , a floating bridge supported by bateaux.

Bated <Xpage=124>

Bat"ed (?) , a. Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath .

Macaulay.

Bateful <Xpage=124>

Bate"ful (?) , a. Exciting contention; contentious. [Obs.] "It did bateful question frame. "

Sidney.

Bateless <Xpage=124>

Bate"less , a. Not to be abated. [Obs.]

Shak.

Batement <Xpage=124>

Bate"ment (?) , n. [For Abatement . See 2d Bate .] Abatement; diminution.

Moxon.

Batement light (Arch.) , a window or one division of a window having vertical sides, but with the sill not horizontal, as where it follows the rake of a staircase.

Batfish <Xpage=124>

Bat"fish` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A name given to several species of fishes: (a) The Malthe vespertilio of the Atlantic coast. (b) The flying gurnard of the Atlantic ( Cephalacanthus spinarella ). (c) The California batfish or sting ray ( Myliobatis Californicus .)

Batfowler <Xpage=124>

Bat"fowl`er (?) , n. One who practices or finds sport in batfowling.

Batfowling <Xpage=124>

Bat"fowl`ing (?) , n. [From Bat a stick.] A mode of catching birds at night, by holding a torch or other light, and beating the bush or perch where they roost. The birds, flying to the light, are caught with nets or otherwise.

Batful <Xpage=124>

Bat"ful (?) , a. [Icel. bati amelioration, batna to grow better; akin to AS. bet better. Goth. ga-batnan to profit. <?/255. Cf. Batten , v. i. , Better .] Rich; fertile. [Obs.] " Batful valleys."

Drayton.

Bath <Xpage=124>

Bath (?) , n. ; pl. Baths (#) . [AS. b\'91<?/ ; akin to OS. & Icel. ba<?/ , Sw., Dan., D., & G. bad , and perh. to G. b\'84hen to foment.] 1. The act of exposing the body, or part of the body, for purposes of cleanliness, comfort, health, etc., to water, vapor, hot air, or the like; as, a cold or a hot bath ; a medicated bath ; a steam bath ; a hip bath .

2. Water or other liquid for bathing.

3. A receptacle or place where persons may immerse or wash their bodies in water.

4. A building containing an apartment or a series of apartments arranged for bathing.

Among the ancients, the public baths were of amazing extent and magnificence. Gwilt.

5. (Chem.) A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through which heat is applied to a body.

6. (Photog.) A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also, the receptacle holding the solution.

&hand; Bath is used adjectively or in combination, in an obvious sense of or for baths or bathing ; as, bath room, bath tub, bath keeper.

Douche bath . See Douche . -- Order of the Bath , a high order of British knighthood, composed of three classes, viz., knights grand cross, knights commanders, and knights companions, abbreviated thus: G. C. B., K. C. B., K. B. -- Russian bath , a kind of vapor bath which consists in a prolonged exposure of the body to the influence of the steam of water, followed by washings and shampooings. -- Turkish bath , a kind of bath in which a profuse perspiration is produced by hot air, after which the body is washed and shampooed. -- Bath house , a house used for the purpose of bathing; -- also a small house, near a bathing place, where a bather undresses and dresses.

Bath <Xpage=124>

Bath (?) , n. [Heb.] A Hebrew measure containing the tenth of a homer, or five gallons and three pints, as a measure for liquids; and two pecks and five quarts, as a dry measure.

Bath <Xpage=124>

Bath (?) , n. A city in the west of England, resorted to for its hot springs, which has given its name to various objects.

Bath brick , a preparation of calcareous earth, in the form of a brick, used for cleaning knives, polished metal, etc. -- Bath chair , a kind of chair on wheels, as used by invalids at Bath. "People walked out, or drove out, or were pushed out in their Bath chairs ." Dickens . -- Bath metal , an alloy consisting of four and a half ounces of zinc and one pound of copper. -- Bath note , a folded writing paper, 8 1/2 by 14 inches. -- Bath stone , a species of limestone (o\'94lite) found near Bath, used for building.

Bathe <Xpage=124>

Bathe (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bathed (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bathing .] [OE. ba<?/ien , AS. ba<?/ian , fr. b\'91<?/ bath. See 1st Bath , and cf. Bay to bathe.] 1. To wash by immersion, as in a bath; to subject to a bath.

Chancing to bathe himself in the River Cydnus. South.

2. To lave; to wet. "The lake which bathed the foot of the Alban mountain."

T. Arnold.

3. To moisten or suffuse with a liquid.

And let us bathe our hands in C\'91sar's blood. Shak.

4. To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to bathe the eye with warm water or with sea water; to bathe one's forehead with camphor.

5. To surround, or envelop, as water surrounds a person immersed. "The rosy shadows bathe me. " Tennyson . "The bright sunshine bathing all the world." Longfellow .

Bathe <Xpage=124>

Bathe (?) , v. i. 1. To bathe one's self; to take a bath or baths. "They bathe in summer."

Waller.

2. To immerse or cover one's self, as in a bath. "To bathe in fiery floods." Shak . " Bathe in the dimples of her cheek." Lloyd .

3. To bask in the sun. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Bathe <Xpage=124>

Bathe , n. The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual bathe .

Edin. Rev.

Bather <Xpage=124>

Bath"er (?) , n. One who bathes.

Bathetic <Xpage=124>

Ba*thet"ic (?) , a. Having the character of bathos. [R.]

Bathing <Xpage=124>

Bath"ing (?) , n. Act of taking a bath or baths.

Bathing machine , a small room on wheels, to be driven into the water, for the convenience of bathers, who undress and dress therein.

Bathmism <Xpage=124>

Bath"mism (?) , n. See Vital force .

Bathometer <Xpage=124>

Ba*thom"e*ter (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ depth + -meter .] An instrument for measuring depths, esp. one for taking soundings without a sounding line.

Bathorse <Xpage=124>

Bat"horse` (?) , n. [F. b<?/t packsaddle (cheval de b<?/t packhorse) + E. horse . See Bastard .] A horse which carries an officer's baggage during a campaign.

Bathos <Xpage=124>

Ba"thos (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ depth, fr. <?/ deep.] (Rhet.) A ludicrous descent from the elevated to the low, in writing or speech; anticlimax.

Bathybius <Xpage=124>

Ba*thyb"i*us (?) , n. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ deep + <?/ life] (Zo\'94l.) A name given by Prof. Huxley to a gelatinous substance found in mud dredged from the Atlantic and preserved in alcohol. He supposed that it was free living protoplasm, covering a large part of the ocean bed. It is now known that the substance is of chemical, not of organic, origin.

Bathymetric, Bathymetrical <Xpage=124>

Bath`y*met"ric (?) , Bath`y*met"ric*al (?) , a. Pertaining to bathymetry; relating to the measurement of depths, especially of depths in the sea.

Bathymetry <Xpage=124>

Ba*thym"e*try (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ depth + -metry .] The art or science of sounding, or measuring depths in the sea.

Bating <Xpage=124>

Bat"ing (?) , prep. [Strictly p. pr. of Bat<?/ to abate.] With the exception of; excepting.

We have little reason to think that they bring many ideas with them, bating some faint ideas of hunger and thirst. Locke.

Batiste <Xpage=124>

Ba*tiste" (?) , n. [F. batiste , from the name of the alleged first maker, Baptiste of Cambrai. Littr\'82 .] Originally, cambric or lawn of fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of cotton.

Batlet <Xpage=124>

Bat"let (?) , n. [ Bat stick + -let .] A short bat for beating clothes in washing them; -- called also batler , batling staff , batting staff .

Shak.

Batman <Xpage=124>

Bat"man (?) , n. [Turk. batman .] A weight used in the East, varying according to the locality; in Turkey, the greater batman is about 157 pounds, the lesser only a fourth of this; at Aleppo and Smyrna, the batman is 17 pounds.

Simmonds.

Batman <Xpage=124>

Bat"man (?) , n. ; pl. Batmen (#) . [F. b<?/t packsaddle + E. man . Cf. Bathorse .] A man who has charge of a bathorse and his load.

Macaulay.

Batoidei <Xpage=124>

Ba*toi"de*i (?) , n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ a kind of ray + -oid .] (Zo\'94l.) The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates.

Baton <Xpage=124>

Bat"on (?) , n. [F. b<?/ton . See Baston .] 1. A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a field marshal; the baton of a conductor in musical performances.

He held the baton of command. Prescott.

2. (Her.) An ordinary with its ends cut off, borne sinister as a mark of bastardy, and containing one fourth in breadth of the bend sinister; -- called also bastard bar . See Bend sinister .

Batoon <Xpage=124>

Ba*toon" (?) , n. See Baton , and Baston .

Bat printing <Xpage=124>

Bat" print`ing (?) . (Ceramics) A mode of printing on glazed ware.

Batrachia <Xpage=124>

Ba*tra"chi*a (?) , n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. <?/ belonging to a frog, fr. <?/ frog.] (Zo\'94l.) The order of amphibians which includes the frogs and toads; the Anura. Sometimes the word is used in a wider sense as equivalent to Amphibia.

Batrachian <Xpage=124>

Ba*tra"chi*an (?) , a. (Zo\'94l.) Pertaining to the Batrachia. -- n. One of the Batrachia.

Batrachoid <Xpage=124>

Bat"ra*choid (?) , a. [ Batrachia + -oid .] (Zo\'94l.) Froglike. Specifically: Of or pertaining to the Batrachid\'91 , a family of marine fishes, including the toadfish. Some have poisonous dorsal spines.

Batrachomyomachy <Xpage=124>

Bat`ra*cho*my*om"a*chy (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ ; <?/ frog + <?/ mouse + <?/ battle.] The battle between the frogs and mice; -- a Greek parody on the Iliad, of uncertain authorship.

Batrachophagous <Xpage=124>

Bat`ra*choph"a*gous (?) , a. [Gr. <?/ frog + <?/ to eat.] Feeding on frogs.

Quart. Rev.

Batsman <Xpage=124>

Bats"man (?) , n. ; pl. Batsmen (<?/) . The one who wields the bat in cricket, baseball, etc. <-- in baseball, usu. called the batter. -->

Bat's-wing or Batwing <Xpage=124>

Bat's"-wing" (?) or Bat"wing , a. Shaped like a bat's wing; as, a bat's-wing burner .

Batta <Xpage=124>

Bat"ta (?) , n. [Prob. through Pg. for Canarese bhatta rice in the husk.] Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer serving in India.

Whitworth.

<-- p. 125 -->

Batta <Xpage=125>

Bat"ta (?) , n. [Hind. ba<?/<?/a .] Rate of exchange; also, the discount on uncurrent coins. [India]

Battable <Xpage=125>

Bat"ta*ble (?) , a. [See Batful .] Capable of culti<?/ation; fertile; productive; fattening. [Obs.]

Burton.

Battailant <Xpage=125>

Bat"tail*ant (?) , a. [F. bataillant , p. pr. See Battle , v. i. ] [Obs.] Prepared for battle; combatant; warlike. Spenser . -- n. A combatant.

Shelton.

Battailous <Xpage=125>

Bat"tail*ous (?) , a. [OF. bataillos , fr. bataille . See Battle , n. ] Arrayed for battle; fit or eager for battle; warlike. [Obs.] "In battailous aspect."

Milton.

Battalia <Xpage=125>

Bat*tal"ia (?) , n. [LL. battalia battle, a body of troops. See Battle , n. ] 1. Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops (brigades, regiments, battalions, etc.), or of a naval force, for action.

A drawing up the armies in battalia . Jer. Taylor.

2. An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body. [Obs.]

Shak.

Battalion <Xpage=125>

Bat*tal"ion (?) , n. [F. bataillon , fr. It. battaglione . See Battalia .] 1. A body of troops; esp. a body of troops or an army in battle array. "The whole battalion views."

Milton.

2. (Mil.) A regiment, or two or more companies of a regiment, esp. when assembled for drill or battle.

Battalion <Xpage=125>

Bat*tal"ion (?) , v. t. To form into battalions. [R.]

Battel <Xpage=125>

Bat"tel (?) , n. [Obs. form. of Battle .] (Old Eng. Law) A single combat; as, trial by battel . See Wager of battel , under Wager .

Battel <Xpage=125>

Bat"tel , n. [Of uncertain etymology.] Provisions ordered from the buttery; also, the charges for them; -- only in the pl. , except when used adjectively. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.]

Battel <Xpage=125>