Batta

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe a variety of heavy flour-based foods common in South Asian cuisine; a nickname for a type of foot soldier traditionally used in historical Indian armies; an informal word for a quick, small meal or snack in some dialects
2. Refers to a staple food made from ground grains typically prepared as a flatbread or doughy dish; denotes a foot soldier serving in colonial or pre-modern South Asian military units; colloquially indicates a light or impromptu eating occasion in regional speech
3. Used to identify a dense cereal-based dish prevalent in South Asian culinary practices; refers to infantrymen enlisted or conscripted in historical South Asian forces; occasionally employed to mean a modest, quick meal in everyday vernacular

Etymology: The Hindi word "bhattā" is the root here, and it carries a useful clue in its own meaning: in the Indian subcontinent it has long denoted an allowance or extra pay, especially the supplementary sum given to soldiers and officials on top of their basic wage. That connection to military pay helps explain how the word came to be attached to the foot soldiers and the staple food of the armies that paid them. English borrowed the word from Hindi, and the form "batta" in English keeps the sense of an allowance or payment, which is the earliest thread to follow. The food sense developed later, as the word spread through the varied cuisines of the subcontinent, and it now names a range of heavy, flour-based dishes. The quick-snack meaning found in some dialects is a more recent extension of the same basic idea of something simple and substantial.