batten

/ˈbætən/

verb

  1. 1

    To become better; improve in condition, especially by feeding.

  2. 2

    To feed (on); to revel (in).

  3. 3

    To thrive by feeding; grow fat; feed oneself gluttonously.

  4. 4

    To thrive, prosper, or live in luxury, especially at the expense of others; fare sumptuously.

    Robber barons who battened on the poor
  5. 5

    To gratify a morbid appetite or craving; gloat.

  6. 6

    To improve by feeding; fatten; make fat or cause to thrive due to plenteous feeding.

  7. 7

    To fertilize or enrich, as land.

noun

  1. 1

    A thin strip of wood used in construction to hold members of a structure together or to provide a fixing point.

  2. 2

    A long strip of wood, metal, fibreglass etc., used for various purposes aboard ship, especially one inserted in a pocket sewn on the sail in order to keep the sail flat.

  3. 3

    In stagecraft, a long pipe, usually metal, affixed to the ceiling or fly system in a theater.

  4. 4

    The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.

verb

  1. 1

    To furnish with battens.

  2. 2

    To fasten or secure a hatch etc using battens.

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