battel

[ bat-l ]

noun
  1. an account with or terminal bill from a college of Oxford University for board, kitchen, and buttery expenses.

  2. battels, expenses, bills, and accounts of a student at Oxford, including those for clothing, books, and personal expenses as well as for tuition, lodging, and food.

verb (used without object),bat·teled, bat·tel·ing.
  1. to have an account with or to be supplied with food and drink from a college kitchen or buttery at Oxford University.

Origin of battel

1
First recorded 1700–10; of uncertain origin; compare New Latin batillī, battillī, batellae, probably to be identified with late Middle English batell, battle, taken to mean “charge for provisions”; kinship with Scots, northern England dialect ba(i)ttle “rich, fattening (of pasture)” is dubious

Other words from battel

  • bat·tel·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use battel in a sentence

  • But within a hundred years the number of the commoners or battelers increased far beyond that allowed by the statutes.

    Oxford and its Story | Cecil Headlam