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batten
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As a verb, batten means become better. As a noun, it means a thin strip of wood used in construction to hold members of a structure together or to provide a fixing point.
Meanings of batten
15 meaningsverb
To become better; improve in condition, especially by feeding.
figurativeTo feed (on); to revel (in).
To thrive by feeding; grow fat; feed oneself gluttonously.
To thrive, prosper, or live in luxury, especially at the expense of others; fare sumptuously.
“Robber barons who battened on the poor”
To gratify a morbid appetite or craving; gloat.
To improve by feeding; fatten; make fat or cause to thrive due to plenteous feeding.
To fertilize or enrich, as land.
To furnish with battens.
nauticalTo fasten or secure a hatch etc using battens.
noun
A thin strip of wood used in construction to hold members of a structure together or to provide a fixing point.
nauticalA 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.
theaterIn stagecraft, a long pipe, usually metal, affixed to the ceiling or fly system in a theater.
The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.
Stuffing made of rolls or sheets of cotton wool or synthetic fiber
Similar: battingA strip fixed to something to hold it firm
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).