bat

Noun

1. Any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.
2. (derogatory) An old woman.

Verb

1. (transitive) To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.
2. (intransitive) To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
3. (intransitive) To strike or swipe as though with a bat.
4. (UK, dialectal, obsolete) To bate or flutter, as a hawk.

Verb

1. (transitive) To flutter
2. (UK, US, dialectal) To wink.
3. (intransitive, usually) To flit quickly from place to place.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bæt/

Etymology

Cognate with Swedish: natt-batta

Inherited from Middle English: bakke

Inherited from Middle English: bat

Inherited from Old English: batt

Cognate with Old Breton: bath

Cognate with Breton: bazh

Cognate with Latin: battuo

Inherited from Middle English: baten

In summary

Dialectal variant (akin to dialectal Swedish natt-batta) of Middle English bakke, balke, of North Germanic origin. Perhaps compare Old Norse (leðr)blaka (literally “(leather) flapper”), from leðr + blaka (“to flap”).
Compare Old Swedish natbakka, Old Danish nathbakkæ.

Synonyms

club

stick

cudgel

racket

flying fox

truncheon

racquet

hit

bludgeon

chiropteran

flutter

staff

ghost

👻

devil

clobber

lick

at-bat

lathi

cricket bat

squash racket

war club

squash racquet

thrash

baton

cream

bird

🐦

fruit bat

cane

shillelagh

flap

play

drub

paddle

beat

billy

drive

dike

blink

defeat

blackjack

battery

🔋

dasher

nail

mint

masturbate

batsman

baseball

⚾

mallet

mace

clout

Translations

chauve-souris

🦇

murciélago

🦇

Fledermaus

pipistrello

🦇

vleermuis

🦇

morcego

🦇

νυχτερίδα

nietoperz

yarasa

🦇

muricec

🦇

vespertilio

🦇

batte

خفاش

🦇

Schläger

şevrevînk