bat·ter

1 [bat-er]
verb (used with object)
1.
to beat persistently or hard; pound repeatedly.
2.
to damage by beating or hard usage: Rough roads had battered the car. High winds were battering the coast.
verb (used without object)
3.
to deal heavy, repeated blows; pound steadily: continuing to batter at the front door.
noun
4.
Printing.
a.
a damaged area on the face of type or plate.
b.
the resulting defect in print.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English bateren, probably < Middle French, Old French batre to beat (see bate2), with the infinitive ending identified with -er6; compare Anglo-French baterer


1. belabor, smite, pelt. 2. bruise, wound; smash, shatter, shiver; destroy, ruin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

bat·ter

2 [bat-er]
noun
1.
a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cookery.
verb (used with object)
2.
to coat with batter.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English bat(o)ur, bat(e)re, perhaps < Anglo-French bature, Old French bat(e)ure act of beating (bat(re) to beat (see bate2) + -eure < *-ātūra; see -ate2, -ure), reinforced by batter1

00:10
Batter is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to spend time idly; loaf.

bat·ter

3 [bat-er]
noun
a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.

Origin:
1765–75; bat1 + -er1

bat·ter

4 [bat-er] Architecture.
verb (used without object)
1.
(of the face of a wall or the like) to slope backward and upward.
noun
2.
a backward and upward slope of the face of a wall or the like.

Origin:
1540–50; of obscure origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To batter
Collins
World English Dictionary
batter1 (ˈbætə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to hit (someone or something) repeatedly using heavy blows, as with a club or other heavy instrument; beat heavily
2.  (tr; often passive) to damage or injure, as by blows, heavy wear, etc
3.  (tr) social welfare to subject (a person, esp a close relative living in the same house) to repeated physical violence
4.  (tr) to subject (a person, opinion, or theory) to harsh criticism; attack
 
[C14 bateren, probably from batten to bat1]

batter2 (ˈbætə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, used to make cakes, pancakes, etc, and to coat certain foods before frying
 
[C15 bater, probably from bateren to batter1]

batter3 (ˈbætə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
sport a player who bats

batter4 (ˈbætə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the slope of the face of a wall that recedes gradually backwards and upwards
 
vb
2.  (intr) to have such a slope
 
[C16 (vb: to incline): of uncertain origin]

batter5 (ˈbætə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a spree or debauch
 
[C19: of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

batter
"strike repeatedly, beat violently and rapidly," early 14c., from O.Fr. batre "to beat, strike" (11c., Mod.Fr. battre "to beat, to strike"), from L. battuere "to beat, strike," an old word in Latin, but almost certainly borrowed from Gaulish, from PIE base *bhau- "to strike" (cf. Welsh bathu "beat;"
O.E. beadu "battle," beatan "to beat," bytl "hammer, mallet"). Began to be widely used 1962 in reference to domestic abuse. Battering-ram is an ancient weapon (L. aries), but the word attested only from 1610s.

batter
"flour, eggs, and milk beaten together," late 14c., from O.Fr. batteure "a beating," from L. battuere (see batter (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

batter

mixture of flour and liquid with other ingredients, such as leavening agents, shortening, sugar, salt, eggs, and various flavouring materials, used to make baked products

Learn more about batter with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Drop the batter onto the baking sheets by tablespoonfuls, about two inches
  apart.
Into the bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and
  combine the batter well.
Beat together the eggs and mix into the flour mixture, adding the milk little
  by little until you have a batter.
Spread half of banana batter in cake pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate
  mixture.
Images for batter
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