bate definition | Dictionary.com

bate

1 [beyt]

verb, bat⋅ed, bat⋅ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to moderate or restrain: unable to bate our enthusiasm.

2.	to lessen or diminish; abate: setbacks that bated his hopes.

–verb (used without object)

3.	to diminish or subside; abate.

—Idiom

4.	with bated breath, with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense: We watched with bated breath as the runners approached the finish line.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME, aph. var. of abate

bate

2 [beyt]

verb, bat⋅ed, bat⋅ing, noun

–verb (used without object)

1.	(of a hawk) to flutter its wings and attempt to escape in a fit of anger or fear.

–noun

2.	a state of violent anger or fear.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME baten to beat, flap (wings, etc.) < MF (se) batre ≪ L battuere to beat; cf. abate

bate

3 [beyt]

verb, bat⋅ed, bat⋅ing, noun

–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

1.	Tanning. to soak (leather) after liming in an alkaline solution to soften it and remove the lime.

–noun

2.	the solution used.

Origin:
1870–75; var. of beat to pare off turf, OE bǣtan to bait; c. Sw beta to tan, G beissen to macerate

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To bate

bate¹ (bāt)

tr.v. bat·ed, bat·ing, bates

To lessen the force or intensity of; moderate: "To his dying day he bated his breath a little when he told the story" (George Eliot). See Usage Note at bait¹.
To take away; subtract.

[Middle English baten, short for abaten; see abate.]

bate² also bait (bāt)

intr.v. bat·ed also bait·ed, bat·ing also bait·ing, bates also baits
To flap the wings wildly or frantically. Used of a falcon.

[Middle English baten, from Old French batre, to beat; see batter¹.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Bate

Bate\, n. [Prob. abbrev. from debate.] Strife; contention. [Obs.] --Shak.

Bate

Bate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating.] [From abate.]

1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower.

He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay him. --Locke.

2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction.

To whom he bates nothing or what he stood upon with the parliament. --South.

3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.]

Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood. He lies that says it. --Beau. & Fl.

4. To remove. [Obs.]

About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay them bare. --Holland.

5. To deprive of. [Obs.]

When baseness is exalted, do not bate The place its honor for the person's sake. --Herbert.

Bate

Bate\, v. i. 1. To remit or retrench a part; -- with of.

Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. --Dryden.

2. To waste away. [Obs.] --Shak.

Bate

Bate\, v. t. To attack; to bait. [Obs.] --Spenser.

Bate

Bate\, imp. of Bite. [Obs.] --Spenser.

Bate

Bate\, v. i. [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.] To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] --Bacon.

Bate

Bate\, n. (Jewish Antiq.) See 2d Bath.

Bate

Bate\, n. [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite.] An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; -- employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. --Knight.

Bate

Bate\, v. t. To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather.

Language Translation for : bate

Spanish: bate, pala, raqueta,

German: der Schläger,

Japanese: バット

More Translations »

bate (1)

"to reduce, to lessen in intensity," c.1300, aphetic of abate (q.v.). Now only in phrase bated breath, which was first used by Shakespeare in "The Merchant of Venice" (1596).

bate (2)

c.1300, "to contend with blows or arguments," from O.Fr. batre, from L.L. battere, from L. batuere (see batter (v.)). In falconry, "to beat the wings impatiently and flutter away from the perch." Figurative sense of "to flutter downward" attested from 1590.

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