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Added 1 October 2026

bat

/bæt/ symbol

In Latin: vespertilio Wiktionary

symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-5 language code for Baltic languages.

noun

Any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.
An old woman.

noun

A club, made of wood like a baseball bat or otherwise, used as a weapon
A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.
A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.
You've been in for ages. Can I have a bat now?

verb

To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.
He batted the ball away with a satisfying thwack.
To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
To strike or swipe as though with a bat.
The cat batted at the toy.

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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