Batten

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbæt(ə)n/

Definitions

1. To secure or strengthen items by affixing strips of timber while also serving as a support element in various structures or as a component in assembly
2. This term refers to both the action of reinforcing with wooden strips and the actual timber pieces employed for structural integrity or fastening purposes
3. To fasten or hold something firmly in place by attaching narrow wooden strips ; a narrow piece of wood used to secure, reinforce, or provide structural support

Etymology: The noun "batten" started life as a building term. Middle English "bataunt" or "batent" meant a finished bar or board, used for panelling, and it came from Old French "batent", literally "a beating". That French word is the present participle of "batre", "to beat, hit, strike", which descends from Late Latin "battere". The Latin root is uncertain, though it may be onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of a blow. The verb is the younger sense. It was formed from the noun, so a batten is literally something you fasten a thing with, and "to batten down" meant to fix hatches or sails against a storm. The word has an unexpected cousin in an older English verb. "Batten" in the sense of growing fat or thriving comes from a separate Norse-derived root meaning to improve, related to "batna" and to Old English "batian". The two words sound alike by accident, not by descent.

Synonyms: board, plank, strip, slat, panel