Bat"ter (băt"tẽr), v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Battered (-tẽrd); p.
pr. & vb. n. Battering.] [OE. bateren, OF.
batre, F. battre, fr. LL. battere, for L.
batuere to strike, beat; of unknown origin. Cf. Abate,
Bate to abate.]
1. To beat with successive blows; to beat
repeatedly and with violence, so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish; as, to
batter a wall or rampart.
2. To wear or impair as if by beating or by hard
usage. "Each battered jade." Pope.
3. (Metallurgy) To flatten (metal) by
hammering, so as to compress it inwardly and spread it outwardly.
Bat"ter, v. i. (Arch.) To slope
gently backward.
Bat"ter, n. One who wields a bat; a
batsman.
Bat"ter, n. [OE. batere,
batire; cf. OF. bateure, bature, a beating. See
Batter, v. t.] 1. A semi-
liquid mixture of several ingredients, as, flour, eggs, milk, etc., beaten
together and used in cookery. King.
2. Paste of clay or loam.
Holland.
3. (Printing) A bruise on the face of a
plate or of type in the form.
Bat"ter, n. A backward slope in the face
of a wall or of a bank; receding slope.
Batter rule, an instrument consisting of a rule or
frame, and a plumb line, by which the batter or slope of a wall is
regulated in building.