What does "batten" mean?
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.
Batten
/ˈbæt(ə)n/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: 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.
- Grammar: batten is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: act drop, adhesive tape, anchor, articulate.
- Useful contrasts: decline, detach, deteriorate.
- Usage evidence: Batten doors are sadly falling out of fashion.
How to use "batten"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "batten" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "batten" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "batten" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "batten" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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.
- 2 a strip fixed to something to hold it firm wordnet
- 3 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. specifically
- 4 stuffing made of rolls or sheets of cotton wool or synthetic fiber wordnet
- 5 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. specifically
"The next morning, we took the battens from the hatches, and opened the ship."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof. specifically
Verb
- 1 To cause (an animal, etc.) to become fat or thrive through plenteous feeding; to fatten. obsolete, transitive
"VVe drove a field, and both together heard / VVhat time the Gray-fly vvinds her ſultry horn, / Batt'ning our flocks vvith the freſh devvs of night, […]"
- 2 To furnish (something) with battens (noun etymology 2 sense 1). transitive
- 3 secure with battens wordnet
- 4 To enrich or fertilize (land, soil, etc.). obsolete, rare, transitive
"[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; […]"
- 5 Chiefly followed by down: to fasten or secure (a hatch, opening, etc.) using battens (noun etymology 2 sense 2.2). transitive
"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?"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 furnish with battens wordnet
- 7 To become better; to improve in condition; especially of animals, by feeding; to fatten up. intransitive
"No, let him batten; when his tongue / Once goes, a cat is not worse strung."
- 8 Of land, soil, etc.: to become fertile; also, of plants: to grow lush. intransitive
- 9 Followed by on: to eat greedily; to glut. intransitive
"Could you on this faire Mountaine leaue to feed, / And batten on this Moore?"
- 10 Followed by on: to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others. figuratively, intransitive
"Robber barons who battened on the poor"
- 11 To gloat at; to revel in. figuratively, intransitive
- 12 To gratify a morbid appetite or craving. figuratively, intransitive
"[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!"
Adjective
- 1 Synonym of battle (“of grass or pasture: nutritious to cattle or sheep; of land (originally pastureland) or soil: fertile, fruitful”). obsolete
"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."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Batten doors are sadly falling out of fashion."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "batten"?
Common synonyms include: act drop, adhesive tape, anchor, articulate, asbestos, asbestos board.
How do you use "batten" in a sentence?
Batten doors are sadly falling out of fashion.
How do you pronounce "batten"?
Pronounced /ˈbæt(ə)n/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The verb is derived from Middle English *battenen, *batnen, of North Germanic origin, probably from Old Norse batna (“to grow better, improve, recover”), from Proto-Germanic *batnaną (“to become better, improve”) (compare Old Norse bati (“advantage, improvement”), from Proto-Germanic *batô (“improvement, recovery”)), 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. Cognates * Dutch baten (“to avail, benefit, profit”) * Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌽𐌰𐌽 (gabatnan, “to benefit, profit”) * Icelandic batna (“to improve, recover”) * Old English batian (“to get better, recover”)
Etymology 2
The noun is from Middle English bataunt, batent (“finished bar or board (as for panelling)”), 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”); 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.
Etymology 3
English surname, pet form of Batt.