What does bat mean?
Bat is a word of two distinct identities. As a noun, it denotes either a nocturnal flying mammal of the order Chiroptera — the only mammal capable of sustained powered flight — or the stout wooden club used to strike a ball in cricket and baseball. These senses are unrelated in origin: the animal's name comes from Middle English bakke, likely of Scandinavian origin, while the implement derives from an Old English word meaning a staff or cudgel. As a verb, bat means to swing such a club, a usage central to baseball, where 'at bat' describes a player's turn at hitting. The word appears in familiar idioms such as 'right off the bat' (immediately), 'off one's own bat' (on one's own initiative), and the popular but inaccurate 'blind as a bat.' Its double life makes it a compact example of how unrelated words can converge into a single modern form.
A nocturnal flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, having forelimbs modified as membranous wings; also, a stout club used to strike a ball in cricket, baseball, and similar games.
"A single bat can eat thousands of insects in a night."
The two noun senses are homonyms with different origins; context almost always makes clear which is meant.
To strike with or as if with a bat; specifically, in baseball, to take a turn attempting to hit a pitched ball.
"He batted cleanup for most of the season."
Chiefly used in baseball and cricket commentary; figurative uses (e.g., batting one's eyes) exist but are informal.
Standard plural applies to both the animal and the implement; no irregular form exists.
"The attic was full of bats."
Bats are the only mammals capable of true sustained flight — and 'blind as a bat' is a myth, since most bats see perfectly well and navigate by echolocation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bat
The sporting sense of bat descends from Old English batt, meaning a cudgel or club, a word of uncertain Germanic origin that also gave rise to related forms in other Germanic languages. The animal sense comes from a separate root: Middle English bakke, probably borrowed from Old Norse leðrblaka ('leather flapper'), which evolved through forms like bakk(e) before settling as bat by the early modern period. Because these are distinct lineages, words sharing a root with one sense do not share it with the other, so no reliable cognate list spans both meanings.
Related word forms
How bat is actually used
The noun has two entirely unrelated senses: the animal and the sporting implement, each with its own etymology. The verb sense is largely confined to baseball and cricket contexts. The idiom 'off one's own bat' (British) means spontaneously or by one's own initiative.
Easily confused with bat
Bet is a wager or gamble on an outcome, while bat is either the flying mammal or the club used in ball games.
Vat is a large container for holding liquids, whereas bat refers to the mammal or the sporting implement.