batten: Meaning and Definition of

bat•ten

1. to thrive by feeding; grow fat.
2. to feed gluttonously or greedily; glut oneself.
3. to thrive, prosper, or live in luxury, esp. at the expense of others: robber barons who battened on the poor.

1. to cause to thrive by or as if by feeding; fatten.

bat•ten

1. a small board or strip of wood used for various building purposes, as to cover joints between boards, reinforce certain doors, or supply a foundation for lathing.
2. a transverse iron or steel strip supporting the flooring strips of a metal fire escape.
1. a thin strip of wood inserted in a sail to keep it flat.
2. a thin, flat length of wood or metal used for various purposes, as to hold the tarpaulin covering a hatch in place.
4. a flexible strip of wood used for fairing the lines of a hull on the floor of a mold loft.
1. Also calledpipe batten.a length of metal pipe hung from the gridiron, for suspending scenery or equipment, as drops, flats, or lighting units.
2. a narrow strip of lumber for constructing, reinforcing, or joining flats.
3. a similar strip attached to a drop to keep it flat or taut.

1. to furnish or bolster with battens.
2. to cover (a hatch) so as to make watertight (usually fol. by down).
3. to secure (work) to a table or bed for a machining operation.
4. to join or assemble (a steel column or the like) with batten plates.
1. to suspend (scenery, stage lights, etc.) from a batten.
2. to fasten a batten to (a flat or drop).

bat•ten

1. (in a loom) the swinging frame for holding and positioning the reed.
2. a part of the lay of a loom.

1. to beat (filling yarn) into place with the batten.