| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| batter1 |
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| SYLLABICATION: | bat·ter |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  b t  r |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: bat·tered, bat·ter·ing, bat·ters
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows. 2. To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse. 3. To damage, as by heavy wear. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To pound repeatedly with heavy blows. | | NOUN: | Printing A damaged area on the face of type or on a plate. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English bateren, from Old French batre, from Late Latin battere, from Latin battuere. | | SYNONYMS: | batter1, maim, mangle1, maul, mutilate These verbs mean to damage, injure, or disfigure by beating, abuse, or hard use: a house battered by a hurricane; a construction worker maimed in an accident; machinery that mangled the worker's fingers; a tent mauled by a hungry bear; mutilated the painting with a razor. See also synonyms at beat.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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