batten

²batten

noun

Definition of BATTEN

1

a British : a piece of lumber used especially for flooring b : a thin narrow strip of lumber used especially to seal or reinforce a joint

2

: a strip, bar, or support resembling or used similarly to a batten (as in a sail)

Origin of BATTEN

alteration of Middle English batent, bataunt finished board, from Anglo-French *bataunt, from present participle of batre to beat, from Latin battuere

First Known Use: 1658

Other Building Terms

cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

Rhymes with BATTEN

Latin, satin