Dictionary
bat•ten
Pronunciation: (bat'n), [key]—
v.i.
1. to thrive by feeding; grow fat.
2. to feed gluttonously or greedily; glut oneself.
3. to thrive, prosper, or live in luxury, esp. at the expense of others:
robber barons who battened on the poor.
—
v.t.
to cause to thrive by or as if by feeding; fatten.
bat•ten
Pronunciation: (bat'n), [key]—
n.
1. a small board or strip of wood used for various building purposes, as to cover joints between boards, reinforce certain doors, or supply a foundation for lathing.
2. a transverse iron or steel strip supporting the flooring strips of a metal fire escape.
3. Naut.
a. a thin strip of wood inserted in a sail to keep it flat.
b. a thin, flat length of wood or metal used for various purposes, as to hold the tarpaulin covering a hatch in place.
4. Shipbuilding.a flexible strip of wood used for fairing the lines of a hull on the floor of a mold loft.
5. Theat.
a. Also called pipe batten. a length of metal pipe hung from the gridiron, for suspending scenery or equipment, as drops, flats, or lighting units.
b. a narrow strip of lumber for constructing, reinforcing, or joining flats.
c. a similar strip attached to a drop to keep it flat or taut.
—
v.t.
1. to furnish or bolster with battens.
2. Naut.to cover (a hatch) so as to make watertight (usually fol. by
down).
3. Mach.to secure (work) to a table or bed for a machining operation.
4. Building Trades.to join or assemble (a steel column or the like) with batten plates.
5. Theat.
a. to suspend (scenery, stage lights, etc.) from a batten.
b. to fasten a batten to (a flat or drop).
bat•ten
Pronunciation: (bat'n), [key] Textiles.
—
n.
1. (in a loom) the swinging frame for holding and positioning the reed.
2. a part of the lay of a loom.
—
v.t.
to beat (filling yarn) into place with the batten.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
