Definition of "batten" in English

verb

1. To cause (an animal, etc.) to become fat or thrive through plenteous feeding; to fatten.

2. To enrich or fertilize (land, soil, etc.).

3. To become better; to improve in condition; especially of animals, by feeding; to fatten up.

4. Of land, soil, etc.: to become fertile; also, of plants: to grow lush.

5. Followed by on: to eat greedily; to glut.

6. Followed by on: to prosper or thrive, especially at the expense of others.

   • Robber barons who battened on the poor

7. To gloat at; to revel in.

8. To gratify a morbid appetite or craving.

adjective

1. (obsolete) Synonym of battle (“of grass or pasture: nutritious to cattle or sheep; of land (originally pastureland) or soil: fertile, fruitful”).

noun

1. (carpentry, construction) A plank or strip of wood, or several of such strips arranged side by side, used in construction to hold members of a structure together, to provide a fixing point, to strengthen, or to prevent warping.

2. A strip of wood holding a number of lamps; especially (theater), one used for illuminating a stage; (by extension, also attributive) a long bar, usually metal, affixed to the ceiling or fly system and used to support curtains, scenery, etc.

3. A long, narrow strip, originally of wood but now also of fibreglass, metal, etc., used for various purposes aboard a ship; especially one attached to a mast or spar for protection, one holding down the edge of a tarpaulin covering a hatch to prevent water from entering the hatch, one inserted in a pocket sewn on a sail to keep it flat, or one from which a hammock is suspended.

4. The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.

verb

1. To furnish (something) with battens (noun etymology 2, sense 1).

2. (chiefly nautical) Chiefly followed by down: to fasten or secure (a hatch, opening, etc.) using battens (noun etymology 2, sense 2.2).