# bat
## Translingual
### Symbol

bat
* (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-5 language code for Baltic languages.

## English
### Pronunciation

* enPR: băt, IPA: /bæt/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Audio (General Australian):(file)
* Rhymes: -æt

### Etymology 1

Dialectal variant (akin to dialectal Swedish natt-batta) of Middle English bakke, balke, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse (leðr)blaka (literally “(leather) flapper”), from leðr + blaka (“to flap”).
Compare Old Swedish natbakka, Old Danish nathbakkæ (literally “night-flapper”).

#### Noun

bat (plural bats)
* Any of the flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.
    Synonyms: chiropter, chiropteran, flindermouse, flitterbat, flittermouse, fluttermouse, flying mouse, rattlemouse, reremouse
** 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 01:The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.
** 2012, Suemedha Sood, (bbc.co.uk) Travelwise: Texas love bats [sic]
    As well as being worth millions of dollars to the Texan agriculture industry, these mammals are worth millions of dollars to the state’s tourism industry. Texas is home to the world’s largest known bat colony (in Comal County), and the world’s largest urban bat colony (in Austin). Bat watching is a common activity, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offering more bat-viewing sites than anywhere else in the US.
* (derogatory) An old woman.
** 2000, Bill Oddie, Gripping Yarns, page 196:"Isn't it lovely?" I smiled and thought: "Yes it is. It's also a Blackbird, you silly old bat!

##### Derived terms

* alien space bats
* a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat
* anvil bat (Epomops spp.)
* baby bat
* badger bat (Niumbaha superba)
* banana bat (Musonycteris harrisoni)
* barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus)
* bat box
* bat bug (Polyctenidae spp.)
* Batcape
* batcorder
* batcrap
* bat detector
* batdom
* bat ear
* bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)
* batfaced
* bat falcon (Falco rufigularis)
* Batfamily
* batfish*
* bat flower, batflower (Tacca spp.)
* bat fly (Nycteribiidae spp.)
* bat-fowler, batfowler
* bat-fowling
* bat hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus)
* bat house
* bat laurel (Prunus polystachya)
* batless
* batlike
* batling
* Batman
* batmeat
* batmobile
* bat nut (Trapa spp.)
* batologist
* bat phone
* bat plant (Tacca spp.)
* batpoop
* bat ray (Myliobatis californica)
* bats (“crazy”, adjective)
* batshit
* batsicle
* batskin
* batspit
* batsqueak
* bat star (Patiria miniata)
* batswing
* bat tick (Nycteribia spp.)
* battish
* bat tree (Magnolia grandiflora)
* batty
* Batusi
* Batverse
* batwing, bat wing
* Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii)
* big brown bat (Eptesicus spp.)
* big-eared bat*
* Blanford's bat (Hesperoptenus blanfordi)
* blind as a bat
* blossom bat (Syconycteris spp.)
* blunt-eared bat (Tomopeas ravus)
* Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii)
* brown bat*
* bull bat (Chordeiles spp.)
* bulldog bat*
* bumblebee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai)
* butterfly bat (Glauconycteris spp.)
* Cadena's long-tongued bat (Hsunycteris cadenai)
* canyon bat (Parastrellus hesperus)
* cave bat (Antrozus spp.)
* chocolate wattled bat (Chalinolobus morio)
* cinnamon bat (Mormoops)
* copper-winged bat (Myotis formosus)
* Damara horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus damarensis)
* Dashe's nectar bat (Hsunycteris dashe)
* Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii)
* dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea)
* desert bat (Antrozous pallidus)
* disc-winged bat/disk-winged bat/disc bat/disk bat (Thyropteridae spp.)
* Dormer's bat (Scotozous dormeri)
* epaulet bat/epauletted bat* (Epomophorini spp.)
* evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis)
* fish-eating bat (Myotis vivesi)
* fishing bat/fisherman bat (Noctilionidae spp.)
* flower-faced bat (Anthops ornatus)
* flute-nosed bat (Murina florium)
* forest bat (Kerivoula spp.)
* fox bat, fox-bat (Pteropodidae spp.)
* free-tailed bat (Molossidae spp.)
* fringe-lipped bat (Trachops cirrhosus)
* frosted bat (Vespertilio murinus)
* fruit bat* (Pteropodidae spp.)
* funnel-eared bat (Natalidae spp.)
* Geoffroy's bat (Myotis emarginatus)
* ghost bat (Macroderma gigas)
* ghost-faced bat (Mormoops megalophylla)
* giant bat (Pteropus spp.)
* golden bat (Mimon bennettii)
* golden-tipped bat (Phoniscus papuensis)
* gray bat (Myotis grisescens)
* greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis)
* groove-toothed bat (Phoniscus atrox)
* guano bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
* hairless bat (Cheiromeles torquatus)
* hairy-faced bat (Myotis annectans)
* hairy-tailed bat (Lasiurus ebenus)
* hairy-winged bat (Harpiocephalus spp.)
* hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus)
* harelipped bat (Noctilio spp.)
* harlequin bat (Scotomanes ornatus)
* harpy bat*
* have bats in the belfry, have bats in one's belfry
* heart-nosed bat (Cardioderma cor)
* hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
* Hodgson's bat (Myotis formosus)
* hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai)
* hollow-faced bat (Nycteris)
* horn-skinned bat (Eptesicus floweri)
* horseshoe bat (Rhinolophidae spp.)
* Horsfield's bat
* Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis)
* jackass bat (Euderma maculata)
* javelin bat (Phyllostomus hastatus)
* Kitti's hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai)
* Kobayashi's bat (Eptesicus kobayashii)
* large-footed bat (Myotis adversus)
* leaf-nosed bat* (Phyllostomidae spp. and Hipposideridae spp.)
* Leisler's bat (Nyctalus leisleri)
* like a bat out of hell
* long-eared bat*
* long-legged bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum)
* long-nosed bat*
* lyre bat (Megaderma lyra)
* mastiff bat*
* megabat (Yinpterochiroptera spp.)
* microbat* (Microchiroptera spp.)
* mole bat (Mola mola)
* Moloney's mimic bat Mimetillus moloneyi)
* monk bat (Molossus tropidorhynchus)
* moonbat
* Morris's bat (Myotis morrisi)
* mouse-eared bat (Myotis spp.)
* mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma spp.)
* naked-backed bat (Pteronotus davyi)
* naked bat (Cheiromeles torquatus)
* Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri)
* New York bat (Lasiurus borealis)
* night-bat
* northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii)
* orange bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia)
* painted bat (Kerivoula picta)
* pale-faced bat (Phylloderma stenops)
* pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus)
* parti-coloured bat, particoloured bat (Vespertilio murinus)
* Patton's long-tongued bat (Hsunycteris pattoni)
* pied bat (Niumbaha superba)
* pipistrelle bat/pipistrel bat (Pipistrellus spp.)
* pond bat (Myotis dasycneme)
* proboscis bat (Rhynchonycteris naso)
* railer bat (Mops thersites)
* red bat (Lasiurus borealis)
* Ridley's bat (Myotis ridleyi)
* round-eared tube-nosed bat (Hipposideros semoni)
* roundleaf bat* (Hipposideros spp.)
* sac-winged bat (Emballonuridae spp.)
* Schlieffen's bat (Nycticeinops schlieffeni)
* sea-bat, sea bat, seabat (Ogcocephalidae spp.)
* Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus)
* Semon's leaf-nosed bat, Semon's roundleaf bat (Hipposideros semoni)
* serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus))
* sheath-tailed bat (Emballonuridae spp.)
* short-tailed bat (Mystacina spp.)
* silky bat (Eptesicus serotinus))
* silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
* Sind bat (Eptesicus nasutus)
* slit-faced bat (Nycteris spp.)
* smoky bat (Amorphochilus schnablii)
* sombre bat (Eptesicus tatei)
* soricine bat (Glossophaga soricina)
* spearnose bat (Phyllostomidae spp.)
* specter bat/spectre bat/spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum)
* spotted bat (Euderma maculatum)
* Tacarcuna bat (Lasiurus castaneus)
* tent-making bat (Uroderma bilobatum)
* thick-eared bat (Eptesicus pachyotis)
* Thomas's nectar bat (Hsunycteris thomasi)
* thumbless bat (Amorphochilus schnablii, Furipterus horrens)
* Tickell's bat (Hesperoptenus tickelli)
* Timorese horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus montanus)
* tomb bat Taphozous spp.)
* trident bat (Asellia tridens etc.)
* trumpet-nosed bat (Musonycteris harrisoni)
* tube-nosed bat (Nyctimene spp.)
* vampire bat*
* Van Gelder's bat (Bauerus dubiaquercus)
* vesper bat* (Vespertilionidae spp.)
* Welwitsch's bat (Myotis welwitschii)
* werebat
* western mastiff bat (Eumops perotis)
* whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus)
* white bat (Diclidurus spp.)
* Woermann's bat (Megaloglossus woermanni)
* wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex)
* wrinkle-lipped bat (Molossidae spp.)
* yellow bat (Scotophilus nigrita)
* yellow-winged bat (Lavia frons)

##### Translations
#### See also

* Appendix:Animals
* Appendix:English collective nouns

### Etymology 2

From Middle English bat, batte, from Old English batt (“bat, club, cudgel”), probably of Celtic origin, compare Old Breton bath (“club, cudgel”) and modern Breton bazh (“swagger stick”), ultimately from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰh₂- (“to strike, beat, pierce”), similar to the Gaulish source of Latin battuo (“I beat, pound”).

#### Noun

bat (plural bats)
* A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.
* A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.
    You've been in for ages. Can I have a bat now?
* A player rated according to skill in batting.
    He's a good fielder and a valuable bat.
* (two-up) The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.
    Synonyms: kip, kylie, lannet, stick
* (mining) Shale or bituminous shale.
** 1799, Richard Kirwan, Geological Essays:bituminous shale ; which miners , if I mistake not , call bat
* A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
* A part of a brick with one whole end.
* A stroke; a sharp blow.
* (UK, Scotland, dialect) A stroke of work.
* (informal) Rate of motion; speed.
** 1842, Sporting Magazine, page 251:On starting, The Nun led at a very slow pace for a quarter of a mile, when the Shrigley colt made running at a good bat.
** 1898, unknown author, Pall Mall Magazine:a vast host of fowl […] making at full bat for the North Sea.
* (US, slang, dated) A spree; a jollification; a binge, jag.
* (UK, Scotland, dialect) Manner; rate; condition; state of health.
* (Kent, Sussex) A rough walking stick.
** 1609, William Shakespeare, “A Louers Complaint”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC, signature K2, verso:So ſlides he dovvne vppon his greyned bat; / And comely diſtant ſits he by her ſide, […]

##### Synonyms

* (two-up): kip, stick, kylie, lannet

##### Derived terms

* at bat
* baseball bat
* bat and ball
* batboy
* batgirl
* batlet
* batmaker
* batman
* bat of an eye
* bat-pad
* batsman
* bat speed
* batswoman
* beat the bat
* big bat
* bingle
* brickbat
* carry out one's bat
* carry the bat
* cluebat
* come to bat
* corked bat
* cricket bat
* cross bat
* dead bat
* dizzy bat
* fungo bat
* go to bat
* half-bat
* nail bat
* off one's own bat
* on one's own bat
* pandy bat
* straight bat
* superbat
* take one's bat and ball and go home
* up to bat

##### Translations
#### References

* ↑ Beekes, R. S. P. (1997). Sound Law and Analogy: Papers in Honor of Robert S.P. Beekes on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday. Netherlands: Rodopi, p. 312
* ↑ Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966, chapter XI section 3, page 242
* ↑ A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect. W.D. Parrish
* ↑ A Dictionary of the Kentish Dialect and Provincialisms. W. D. Parish and W.F. Shaw

### Etymology 3

From Middle English baten (“to beat”), from Old French batre (“to beat”), from Late Latin battere, from Latin battuere; in modern English reinterpreted as a verbal derivative of Etymology 2. Compare batter, battery.

#### Verb

bat (third-person singular simple present bats, present participle batting, simple past and past participle batted)
* (transitive) To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.
    He batted the ball away with a satisfying thwack.
    We batted a few ideas around.
* (intransitive) To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
* (intransitive) To strike or swipe as though with a bat.
    The cat batted at the toy.
* (UK, dialect, obsolete) To bate or flutter, as a hawk.

##### Derived terms

* bat around
* bat a thousand
* bat away
* bat deep
* bat five hundred
* bat for both sides
* bat for the other side
* bat for the other team
* bat in
* bat one thousand
* bat out
* bat round
* batter
* bat the breeze
* bat up
* did not bat

##### Translations
### Etymology 4

Possibly a variant of bate.

#### Verb

bat (third-person singular simple present bats, present participle batting, simple past and past participle batted)
* (transitive) To flutter
    to bat one’s eyelashes
* (US, UK, dialect) To wink.
* (intransitive, usually with ‘around’ or ‘about’) To flit quickly from place to place.
    I’ve spent all week batting around the country.

##### Usage notes

Most commonly used in the phrase bat an eye, and variants thereof.

##### Derived terms

* bat an eye
* bat an eyelash
* bat an eyelid
* bat one's eyelashes
* bat one's eyes

### Etymology 5

Borrowed from French bât, from Old French bast, from Vulgar Latin *bastum, form of *bastāre (“to carry”), from Ancient Greek βαστάζω (bastázō, “to lift, carry”). Doublet of baton and baston.

#### Noun

bat (plural bats)
* (obsolete) A packsaddle.

##### Derived terms

* batman

### Etymology 6
#### Noun

bat
* Dated form of baht (“Thai currency”).

### Etymology 7
#### Noun

bat (plural bats)
* (Caribbean, MLE) Clipping of batty (“buttocks or anus”).

### Etymology 8
#### Noun

bat (plural bats)
* (UK, dialect, obsolete) A child's shoe without a welt.
** 1909, Boot and Shoe Recorder, volume 55, page 25:The retailer who sells a little girl a pretty pair of shoes today instead of a pair of bats, is bound to sell that girl, when she grows up, a pair of stylish $3 or $4 shoes instead of her buying a pair of $1.98 bargain bats elsewhere.
* (UK, slang, obsolete) A boot that is badly made or in poor condition.

##### References

* (child's shoe; boot): J. Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary
* (boot): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary

#### See also

* bat mitzvah
* bits and bats

### Anagrams

* ABT, ATB, B.T.A., BTA, TBA, Tab, abt, abt., tab

## Aromanian
### Alternative forms

* batu

### Etymology

From Latin battō, from earlier battuō. Compare Daco-Romanian bat, bate.

### Verb

bat first-singular present indicative (third-person singular present indicative bati or bate, past participle bãtutã)
* to beat, hit, strike
* to defeat

#### Synonyms

* (beat): agudescu
* (defeat): azvingu

#### Related terms

* batiri/batire
* bãteri
* bãtut
* bãtutã
* strãbat

## Basque
### Etymology

From a reduced form of Proto-Basque *bade (“one, some”), present also in bederatzi (“nine”) and bedera (“same; everyone”). Compared by Eduardo Orduña and Joan Ferrer to Iberian ban (“one”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bat/ [bat̪]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -at
* Hyphenation: bat

### Determiner

bat (postposed)
* a, an, some
    musu bata kiss
* (after a numeral) some, about, around
    Bidaiak hamar bat ordu iraungo du.The trip will take around ten hours.
* the same

#### Usage notes

* The determiner doesn't take the definite singular form.

#### Declension
### Numeral

bat
* one
    Sagar bat eta lau laranja.One apple and four oranges.

#### Usage notes

* The declension table shown in this section only applies when bat is used as a noun (usually when referring to the number itself). For other uses see the other declension tables.

#### Derived terms

* bat egin (“to unite”)
* bat egon (“to agree”)
* bat etorri (“to agree”)
* bat izan (“to be united”)
* batasun (“unity”)
* bateko (“single”)
* batera etorri
* bateraezin
* bateraezintasun
* bateragarri
* bateragarritasun
* baterako
* bateratasun
* bateratu (“to collect”)
* bateratzaile
* batu (“to unite”)
* batugai (“summand”)
* batugailu
* batukari (“summation”)
* batuketa (“sum, addition”)
* batura (“sum”)
* batza
* batzaile (“uniter”)
* batzaldi (“meeting”)
* batzoki

### Pronoun

bat (indefinite)
* some, something, someone

#### Usage notes

* When used as a pronoun, the definite form bata is more common in Southern dialects.

#### Derived terms

* bakoitz (“each”)
* bat bakarra (“the only”)
* bat bera (“the only”)
* bat edo bat (“someone”)
* bat edo beste (“some”)
* bat-banaka (“one by one”)
* bat-banatu (“to divide”)
* bat-batean (“suddenly”)
* bat-bateko (“sudden”)
* bat-batekotasun (“suddenness”)
* bat-batera (“suddenly”)
* bat-batez (“suddenly”)
* bata bestearen gainka
* batbedera
* batean (“at the same time”)
* batek daki
* batek jakin
* batekoz beste
* baten bat (“someone”)
* baten batzuk
* batera (“at the same time”)
* batera eta bestera
* bateratsu (“almost at the same time”)
* batere
* batetik bestera
* batetik bestera aldea egon
* batez beste (“on average”)
* batez besteko (“average”)
* batez ere (“in particular”)
* batezbesteko (“average”)
* batik bat (“in particular”)
* batño
* batto
* batxo

### References

* ↑ “bat” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk
* ↑ Mitxelena, Koldo L. (1961) Fonética histórica vasca [Basque Historical Phonetics] (Obras completas de Luis Michelena; 1) (in Spanish), Diputación Foral de Guipuzkoa, published 1990, →ISBN, page 134
* ↑ “bat”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005
* ↑ Orduña A., Eduardo (2011) “Los numerales ibéricos y el protovasco [Iberian numerals and Proto-Basque]”, in Veleia‎ (in Spanish), volume 28, pages 125–139
* ↑ Joan Ferrer i Jané, El sistema de numerales ibérico: avances en su conocimiento

### Further reading

* “bat zenbatzailea”, in Euskara Batuaren Eskuliburua [Handbook of Standard Basque], Euskaltzaindia, 2023
* “bat zenbatzailea / -a artikulua (batzuk/-ak)”, in Euskara Batuaren Eskuliburua [Handbook of Standard Basque], Euskaltzaindia, 2023
* “bat”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbat]
* Rhymes: -at

### Etymology 1

Deverbal of batre.

#### Noun

bat m (plural bats)
* a place exposed to the elements
    Synonyms: batent, baterell

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

bat
* inflection of batre:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Etymology 3

Borrowed from English bat.

#### Noun

bat m (plural bats)
* (baseball) bat

##### Derived terms

* batada

##### Related terms

* batedor

### Further reading

“bat” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

## Cebuano
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbat/ [ˈbat̪]

### Noun

bat
* Alternative form of balat

## Danish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈb̥ad̥]

### Etymology 1

From English bat.

#### Noun

bat n (singular definite battet, plural indefinite bat or bats)
* bat (a club for striking a ball)

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

bat
* imperative of batte

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ba/
* Audio:(file)
* Audio (Canada):(file)
* Homophones: bats (general), bât, bâts, bas (some speakers)

### Verb

bat
* third-person singular present indicative of battre

#### See also

* bat les couilles (“not give a fuck”)

### Anagrams

* t.a.b.

## German
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /baːt/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -aːt
* Homophones: Bad (standard, but not universal), Bart (some speakers)

### Verb

bat
* first/third-person singular preterite of bitten

## Haitian Creole
### Etymology

From French battre (“beat”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bat/

### Verb

bat
* to spank, to beat

## Hokkien

* For pronunciation and definitions of bat – see 捌 (“to know; to recognise; to be familiar with”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 捌).

## Jamaican Creole
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbat/
* Hyphenation: bat

### Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Noun

bat (plural bat dem, quantified bat)
* moth (nocturnal insect)
    Duppy bat still a fly like hawk.Black witch moths are still flying around like hawks.
** 2003, Amber Wilson, Jamaica: The Land (in English), page 30:“Hundreds of species of butterflies and moths live in Jamaica. Jamaicans call large moths "bats." The black witch moth is known as "the duppy bat." A duppy is a spirit in Jamaican culture that sometimes causes mischief. Duppy bats have brown [...]”

##### Derived terms

* dunce bat
* duppy bat

### Etymology 2

From English bat.

#### Noun

bat (plural bat dem, quantified bat)
* bat (instrument for hitting or striking)
    When yu get one lick from me wid di bat... yu wi know.If I hit you once with this bat, you'll understand.

##### Derived terms

* old bat

### References

* Richard Allsopp, editor (1996), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 83
* bat – jamaicans.com Jamaican Patois dictionary

## Jingpho
### Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese ပတ် (pat).

### Noun

bat
* week

### References

* Kurabe, Keita (2016 December 31) “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎, volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 91–128

## Luo
### Noun

bat (plural bede)
* arm

## Middle Dutch
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bat/

### Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *bath, from Proto-West Germanic *baþ.

#### Noun

bat n
* bath

##### Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

##### Descendants

* Dutch: bad
* Limburgish: baad

### Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *bat, *bet, from Proto-Germanic *batiz.

#### Adverb

bat
* better; comparative degree of wel
    Synonym: beter

##### Alternative forms

* bet

##### Descendants

* Dutch: bet- only in betovergroot- (“great grand-”) and betweter (“know-it-all”)

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

bat
* first/third-person singular past indicative of bidden

### Further reading

* “bat (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* “bat (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bat (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bet (III)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page bet

## Middle English
### Etymology 1

From Old English batt, from Celtic; influenced by Old French batte.

#### Alternative forms

* batt, batte, bot

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bat/, /bɔt/

#### Noun

bat (plural battes or botten)
* A mace, bat, or morningstar (blunt weapon)
* (rare) A pole or stick used for other
* (rare, Late Middle English) A strike or hit from a weapon.
* (rare, Late Middle English) A clump of soft material.

##### Descendants

* English: bat, batt
* Scots: bat
* Yola: bath, bat
* → Irish: bata
* → Scottish Gaelic: bata

##### References

* “bat, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-16.

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

bat
* (Northern) Alternative form of bot (“boat”)

## Old English
### Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bait.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bɑːt/

### Noun

bāt m
* boat

#### Declension

Strong a-stem:
Occasionally appears as feminine: Strong ō-stem:

#### Descendants

* Middle English: bot, bate, bat, bote, boot, boet, boyt, bootte, boote
** English: boat
*** Belizean Creole: boat
*** → Esperanto: boato
*** → Dhivehi: ބޯޓު (bōṭu)
*** → Fijian: boto
*** → Hijazi Arabic: بوت (bōt)
*** → Japanese: ボート (bōto)
*** → Malay: bot
*** → Pitcairn-Norfolk: boet (Norfuk)
*** → Sinhalese: බෝට්‍ටුව (bōṭṭuwa)
*** → Swahili: boti
*** → Scots: boat, bote (compare native bait, bate)
*** → Tahitian: poti
*** Tok Pisin: bot
** Scots: bate, bait
** → Middle Dutch: boot
*** Dutch: boot
**** Afrikaans: boot
** → Middle Low German: bôt, bott
*** Low German: Boot
*** Plautdietsch: Boot
*** → German: Boot
** → North Frisian: böötj
** → Saterland Frisian: Boot
** → West Frisian: boat
** → Catalan: bot
** → Galician: bote
** → Old French: bot
*** → Portuguese: bote
** → Spanish: bote
*** → Cebuano: bote
* → Old Norse: bátr (see there for further descendants)
* → Old French: batel (see there for further descendants)
* → Middle Irish: bát
** Irish: bád
** Scottish Gaelic: bàta
** Manx: baatey
* → Latin: battus
* → Welsh: bad

## Old French
### Alternative forms

* bot, bote

### Etymology

Borrowed from Old English bāt and Middle English bot.

### Noun

bat oblique singular, m (oblique plural batz, nominative singular batz, nominative plural bat)
* boat

### References

* Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX$^e$ au XV$^e$ siècle (1881) (bat)

## Old Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bad/

### Verb

bat
* inflection of is:
** third-person plural imperative
** third-person plural present subjunctive

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbat/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -at
* Syllabification: bat
* Homophones: bad, Bat

### Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *batъ.

#### Noun

bat m inan (diminutive bacik)
* whip (rod for beating)
    Synonym: bicz
* (slang) joint (marijuana cigarette)
* (in the plural) whipping, lash (type of corporal punishment)
    Synonyms: bicie, cięgi, knoty, lanie, wały
* (in the plural, literary) reproof (criticizing)
    Synonym: cięgi
* (in the plural, literary) whipping, licking, beating (heavy defeat or setback)
    Synonym: cięgi

##### Derived terms

* pod batem

##### Related terms

* batog
* batożek
* batożnik
* batożyć impf
* wybatożyć pf

### Etymology 2

Either borrowed from Swedish bat or Italian batto.

#### Noun

bat m inan
* bateau (type of boat)

##### Declension
### Etymology 3

Borrowed from Thai บาท (bàat), from Sanskrit पाद (pāda).

#### Noun

bat m animal
* baht (currency of Thailand)

##### Declension
### References

* ↑ Mirosław Bańko, Lidia Wiśniakowska (2021) “bat”, in Wielki słownik wyrazów obcych, →ISBN
* ↑ Witold Doroszewski, editor (1958–1969), “bat”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), Warszawa: PWN

### Further reading

* bat in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* bat in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Romanian
### Verb

bat
* inflection of bate:
** first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** third-person plural present indicative

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *batъ.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bât/

#### Noun

bȁt m (Cyrillic spelling ба̏т)
* mallet
* helve hammer

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish باصدی (bastı) (Turkish bastı), from باصمق (basmak) (Turkish basmak).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bâːt/

#### Noun

bȃt m (Cyrillic spelling ба̑т)
* The tramp of heavy footsteps, as in a military march
** 1939, Čedomir Minderović, Crven je istok i zapad:Napred, sve bliže i bliže, / Čuje se koraka bat. / Glas milijona se diže: / Dole fašizam i rat!Forward, ever closer and closer, / the tramp of footsteps is heard. / The voice of millions is raised: / Down with fascism and war!
* (rare) The tramp of horses’ hooves

##### Declension
### Etymology 3
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bâːt/

#### Noun

bȃt m (Cyrillic spelling ба̑т)
* Alternative form of bȁht

##### Declension
### References

* “bat”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025
* “bat”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025
* “bat”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from English bat.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈbat/ [ˈbat̪]
* Rhymes: -at
* Syllabification: bat

### Noun

bat m (plural bats)
* (baseball) bat (act of batting)
* Misspelling of baht.

### Further reading

* “bat”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010

## Tagalog
### Pronunciation

* (Standard Tagalog) IPA: /ˈbat/ [ˈbat̪̚]
* Rhymes: -at
* Syllabification: bat

### Adverb

bat (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜆ᜔)
* Alternative spelling of ba't

## Turkish
### Verb

bat
* second-person singular imperative of batmak

## Tzotzil
### Pronunciation

* (Zinacantán) IPA: /ɓätʰ/

### Verb

bat
* (intransitive) to go

### References

* Laughlin, Robert M. (1975) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
* Laughlin, Robert M. [et al.] (1988) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of Santo Domingo Zinacantán, vol. I. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.

## Yola
### Noun

bat
* Alternative form of bath
** 1867, “ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 106:Mot earch oan to aar die. Ich mosth kotch a bat.But every one to his day. I must catch the bat.

### References

* Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 106

## Yucatec Maya
### Noun

bat (plural batoʼob)
* hail, hailstone

## Zhuang
### Pronunciation

* (Standard Zhuang) IPA: /paːt˧˥/
* Tone numbers: bat$^7$
* Hyphenation: bat

### Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 缽 (puɑt̚).

#### Noun

bat (Sawndip forms 朳 or 𥐙 or 鈸 or 叭 or 拔, 1957–1982 spelling bat)
* basin; bowl
    Synonym: (dialectal) angq

##### Derived terms

* batceij
* batcij
* batcuz
* batdin
* batfeiz
* batguengj
* batgyumj
* bathang
* batloiz
* batmanh
* batnaj
* batngaeuj
* batva
* batvax

#### Classifier

bat (1957–1982 spelling bat)
* basin of; bowl of

### Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 八 (pˠɛt̚, “eight”). Doublet of bet.

#### Numeral

bat (1957–1982 spelling bat)
* eight (used in compounds)
    Synonym: bet