English
batten
Batten comes from Middle English *battenen.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*battenenreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1588batten
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*battenenreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1588batten
Earliest quotation: c. 1588, John Lyly: “No, let him batten; when his tongue / Once…”
The story
The verb is derived from Middle English *battenen, *batnen, of North Germanic origin, probably from Old Norse batna (‘to grow better, improve, recover’), from Proto-Germanic *batnaną (‘to become better, improve’) (compare Old Norse bati (‘advantage, improvement’), from Proto-Germanic *batô (‘improvement, recovery’)), from *bataz (‘good’), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- (‘good’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰed- ‘good’
better, boot, beet, bote, 2 more
through Proto-Germanic *bataz ‘good’
Another origin of batten
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰedʰ-‘to pierce’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbattuō‘(very rare) to beat, hit, strike’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbattere
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400batent‘a beating’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bataunt
- Englishtodaybatten
The noun is from Middle English bataunt, batent (‘finished bar or board (as for panelling)’), from Old French batent (‘a beating’), a noun use of the present participle form of batre (‘to beat, hit, strike’), from Late Latin battere, the present active infinitive of battō (‘to beat’), from Latin battuō (‘(very rare) to beat, hit, strike’); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ-, *bʰedʰh₂- (‘to pierce; to stab’) or *bʰat- (‘to hit’), ultimately onomatopoeic.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. The verb is derived from the noun.
Today it means
verb To cause (an animal, etc.) to become fat or thrive through plenteous feeding; to fatten.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English *battenen / batten