The Collaborative International Dictionary
Bat \Bat\ (b[a^]t), n. [OE. batte, botte, AS. batt; perhaps fr. the Celtic; cf. Ir. bat, bata, stick, staff; but cf. also F. batte a beater (thing), wooden sword, battre to beat.]
A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc.
In badminton, tennis, and similar games, a racket.
A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
A part of a brick with one whole end; a brickbat.
(Mining) Shale or bituminous shale.
--Kirwan.A stroke; a sharp blow. [Colloq. or Slang]
A stroke of work. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Rate of motion; speed. [Colloq.] ``A vast host of fowl . . . making at full bat for the North Sea.''
--Pall Mall Mag.A spree; a jollification. [Slang, U. S.]
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Manner; rate; condition; state of health. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Bat bolt (Machinery), a bolt barbed or jagged at its butt or tang to make it hold the more firmly.
--Knight.