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Baton vs Bat - What's the difference?

baton | bat |

As nouns the difference between baton and bat

is that baton is a staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a field marshal while bat is any of the small, nocturnal, flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, which navigate by means of echolocation.

As verbs the difference between baton and bat

is that baton is to strike with a baton while bat is to hit with a bat.

As an acronym BAT is

best available technology; a principle applying to regulations on limiting pollutant discharges.

baton

English

(wikipedia baton)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a field marshal
  • (music) The stick of a conductor in musical performances.
  • (sports) An object transferred by runners in a relay race.
  • (lb) A short stout club used primarily by policemen; a truncheon (UK).
  • (heraldiccharge) An abatement in coats of arms to denote illegitimacy. (Also spelled batune, baston).
  • (heraldiccharge) A riband with the ends cut off, resembling a baton, as shown on a coat of arms.
  • Derived terms

    * batonic

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To strike with a baton.
  • References

    * * The Observer's Book of Heraldry , by Charles Mackinnon of Dunakin, p. 58.

    bat

    English

    (wikipedia bat)

    Etymology 1

    Dialectal variant (akin to the dialectal (etyl) term (m)) of (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) (compare (etyl) (m), (etyl) ).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any of the small, nocturnal, flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, which navigate by means of echolocation.
  • *
  • *: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.
  • (lb) An old woman.
  • A whore who prowls in the dusk/evening like a bat.
  • Synonyms
    * (flying mammal)
    Derived terms
    * Batman * batlike * batshit * battish * batty * blind as a bat * fruit bat * have bats in the belfry * leaf-nosed bat * (little brown bat) * (brown bat) * like a bat out of hell * microbat * moonbat * vampire bat * vesper bat
    See also
    * * * (bat) * (Chiroptera)

    Etymology 2

    (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • 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.
  • (two-up) The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language , second edition, 1966, chapter XI section 3, page 242
  • (mining) Shale or bituminous shale.
  • (Kirwan)
  • A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
  • A part of a brick with one whole end.
  • Synonyms
    * (two-up) kip, stick, kylie, lannet
    Derived terms
    (derived terms) * baseball bat * batless * batman * bats * batsman * cricket bat

    Verb

    (batt)
  • to hit with a bat.
  • to take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
  • to strike or swipe as though with a bat
  • The cat batted at the toy.
    Derived terms
    * bat five hundred * bat in * bat out * bat up * (verb)
    Hyponyms
    * Myotis

    References

    Etymology 3

    Possibly a variant of bate.

    Verb

  • to flutter: bat one's eyelashes .
  • Usage notes
    Most commonly used in phrase bat an eye, and variants thereof.
    Derived terms
    * bat an eye, bat an eyelash, bat an eyelid

    Etymology 4

    From (etyl) . "batman." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 2009. Cognate to (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) packsaddle
  • Derived terms
    * batman

    References