What does batten mean?
A batten is a long, narrow strip of wood — or occasionally another material — used to fasten things together, reinforce a structure, or hold a covering such as a tarpaulin firmly in place. In construction and roofing, battens provide the framework to which tiles or boards are attached. The word also functions as a verb: to batten something down is to secure it with such strips, giving us the famous nautical idiom 'batten down the hatches,' in which sailors nail battens over hatch covers ahead of a storm; the phrase is now widely applied figuratively to preparing for any impending difficulty. Separately, an older verb sense means to grow fat or flourish, especially by feeding on someone else — 'to batten on' someone implies parasitic greed, as in a profiteer battening on a crisis. That figurative use carries a distinctly negative, somewhat literary tone. With its vivid maritime heritage and strong imagery, 'batten' remains a colorful and practical addition to the English lexicon.
To thrive or grow fat, especially at another's expense; also, to fasten securely with battens or strips.
"He accused the company of battening on public subsidies while cutting workers' wages."
The exploitative sense takes the preposition 'on' or 'upon'; the fastening sense often appears in the fixed phrase 'batten down.'
A long narrow strip of wood used to fasten, strengthen, or support something, as in roofing or securing a tarpaulin.
"The roofer nailed each tile to a horizontal batten beneath."
Standard plural for the noun referring to multiple wooden strips.
"The shed was clad in horizontal battens painted dark grey."
When sailors 'batten down the hatches,' they're literally nailing wooden strips over the hatch covers — a phrase now used whenever a storm, literal or figurative, is coming.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of batten
The noun 'batten' derives from the Old French 'baton,' meaning a stick or staff, which itself traces back through Vulgar Latin to the Latin root 'bastare' or a related source meaning to carry or bear; it entered Middle English in the medieval period. This same lineage gives us the modern words 'baton' and 'bastion,' making them distant cousins of the humble carpentry strip. The unrelated verb sense meaning 'to fatten' comes instead from Old Norse 'beita,' meaning to pasture or feed, reflecting Scandinavian influence on English vocabulary.
Related word forms
How batten is actually used
The verb has two distinct strands of use: the physical sense (fastening with strips) and the figurative sense ('batten on/upon'), which carries strongly negative connotations of parasitic exploitation and is somewhat formal or literary today. The idiom 'batten down the hatches,' from nautical practice, is very common in both literal weather contexts and metaphorical ones about preparing for trouble.
Easily confused with batten
A baton is a short staff or rod, such as one used by a conductor or in a relay race, while a batten is a long narrow strip of wood used for fastening or support.