batter

batter¹

/bat"euhr/, v.t.

1. to beat persistently or hard; pound repeatedly.

2. to damage by beating or hard usage: Rough roads had battered the car. High winds were battering the coast.

v.i.

3. to deal heavy, repeated blows; pound steadily: continuing to batter at the front door.

n.

4. Print.

a. a damaged area on the face of type or plate.

b. the resulting defect in print.

[1300-50; ME bateren, prob. < MF, OF batre to beat (see BATE²), with the inf. ending identified with -ER⁶; cf. AF baterer]

Syn. 1. belabor, smite, pelt. 2. bruise, wound; smash, shatter, shiver; destroy, ruin.

batter²

/bat"euhr/, n.

1. a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cookery.

v.t.

2. to coat with batter.

[1350-1400; ME bat(o)ur, bat(e)re, perh. < AF bature, OF bat(e)ure act of beating (bat(re) to beat (see BATE²) + -eure < *-atura; see -ATE², -URE), reinforced by BATTER¹]

batter³

/bat"euhr/, n.

a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.

[1765-75; BAT¹ + -ER¹]

batter⁴

/bat"euhr/, Archit.

v.i.

1. (of the face of a wall or the like) to slope backward and upward.

n.

2. a backward and upward slope of the face of a wall or the like.

[1540-50; of obscure orig.]

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▪ food

      mixture of flour and liquid with other ingredients, such as leavening agents, shortening, sugar, salt, eggs, and various flavouring materials, used to make baked products.

      Such mixtures—called doughs (dough)—are thick and flexible, allowing them to be shaped and rolled. Batters, however, contain higher proportions of liquids, are thinner than doughs, and can be stirred, poured, and dropped from a spoon. Batter products are mainly shaped by the form of the containers in which they are baked and include biscuits, muffins, scones, corn bread, pancakes, layer cakes, and angel food cakes. Angel food and sponge-cake batters, usually made without leavening ingredients, are leavened during baking by the expansion of the many small air bubbles incorporated in the batter by vigorous mixing or beating. Batters are also used as coatings for foods that are to be sautéed or fried.

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