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View synonyms for bate

bate

1

[ beyt ]

verb (used with object)

, bat·ed, bat·ing.
  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)

, bat·ed, bat·ing.
  1. to diminish or subside; abate.

bate

2

[ beyt ]

verb (used without object)

, bat·ed, bat·ing.
  1. (of a hawk) to flutter its wings and attempt to escape in a fit of anger or fear.

noun

  1. a state of violent anger or fear.

bate

3

[ beyt ]

verb (used with or without object)

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

noun

  1. the solution used.

bate

1

/ beɪt /

verb

  1. to soak (skin or hides) in a special solution to soften them and remove chemicals used in previous treatments


noun

  1. the solution used

bate

2

/ beɪt /

noun

  1. slang.
    a bad temper or rage

bate

3

/ beɪt /

verb

  1. another word for abate
  2. with bated breath
    holding one's breath in suspense or fear

bate

4

/ beɪt /

verb

  1. intr (of hawks) to jump violently from a perch or the falconer's fist, often hanging from the leash while struggling to escape

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bate1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, shortening of abate

Origin of bate2

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English bat(t)en “to beat, stamp, flap (wings, etc.), peck, strike,” from Middle French (se) bat(t)re, ultimately from Latin battuere, battere, batuere “to beat, pound”; abate

Origin of bate3

First recorded in 1870–75; variant of beat “to pare off turf”; probably from Swedish beta “to tan”; cognate with German beizen “to tan, pickle;” bait ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bate1

Old English bǣtan to bait 1

Origin of bate2

C19: from bait 1, alluding to the mood of a person who is being baited

Origin of bate3

C13: from Old French batre to beat, from Latin battuere ; related to bat 1

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. with bated breath. bated ( def 3 ).

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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