Bates

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A surname that may refer to various individuals or families
2. A reference to a group or collection of people bearing the same last name
3. A name associated with notable figures in history or contemporary society

Etymology: The verb "bate" is a clipped form of "abate." Middle English had "baten," meaning "to abate," which came from Old French "abatre," meaning "to knock down." English dropped the opening "a-" over time, a process called apheresis, leaving a shorter word whose sense of lessening or restraining survives in the phrase "bate one's breath." "Bates" is simply the third-person singular form, so "she bates her breath" means she checks or holds back her breathing. The Old French stem is closely related to "batter," which comes from the same family of verbs for striking and beating.

Synonyms: wears, carries, supports, endures, bears

Antonyms: removes, takes off, abandons, rejects, forsakes