Sentence:  ... they cling, like creepers or women, to the nearest support, to fly from that corroding ennui and listlessness, those tumults of the mind, which flit <WSD>batlike</WSD> amid the golden-groined ceilings, and cannot be dispelled by the lictor guard. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Having characteristics similar to those of a bat, usually used with reference to the flying mammal.