different between whack vs bat

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Originally Scottish. Probably onomatopoeic, although possibly a variant of thwack.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wæk/
• (without the wine–whine merger) IPA^(key): /?æk/
• Rhymes: -æk
• Homophone: wack (accents with the wine-whine merger)

Noun

whack (plural whacks)

1. The sound of a heavy strike.
2. The strike itself.
3. The stroke itself, regardless of its successful impact.
4. (US, slang) An attempt, a chance, a turn, a go, originally an attempt to beat someone or something.

   C'mon. Take a whack at it.

   40 bucks a whack.

5. (originally Britain cant, dated) A share, a portion, especially a full share or large portion.
   • 1906, Jack London, White Fang, New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Part 1, Chapter 2, p. 16,^[1]

     “It’s damned tame, whatever it is, comin’ in here at feedin’ time an’ gettin’ its whack of fish.”

   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, New York: Appleton, Chapter VII, page 108,^[2]

     “ […] O'Cannon's a taxpayer. He pays his whack towards the upkeep of the State School up in town—”

   • 1951, Katherine Mansfield, Letters to John Middleton Murry, 1913-1922,

     For one thing I had a splendid supper when I got on board—a whack of cold, lean beef and pighells, bread, butter ad lib., tea, and plenty of good bread.

   • 2014, Anthony Pritchard, Grand Prix Ferrari (page 203)

     There were problems over the installation of the engine and the handling. The team had paid top whack for the two Coopers, but the company gave them no help at all.

6. (obsolete) A whack-up: a division of an amount into separate whacks, a divvying up.
7. (US, obsolete) A deal, an agreement.
   • 1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Ch. vi, page 70:

     "I'll stay if you will."
     "Good—that's a whack."

   It's a whack!

8. (typography, computing, slang) The backslash, ??\??.

   del c:\docs\readme.txt

   Delete c colon whack docs whack readme dot text.

Derived terms

• full whack
• have a whack at
• out of whack
• take a whack at
• top whack
• wacky
• whack up, whack-up

Translations

Verb

whack (third-person singular simple present whacks, present participle whacking, simple past and past participle whacked)

1. To hit, slap or strike.
   • G. W. Cable

     Rodsmen were whacking their way through willow brakes.

2. (slang) To kill, bump off.
3. (transitive, slang) To share or parcel out (often with up).

   to whack the spoils of a robbery

   • 1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, London: G. Newbold, Volume 2, p. 152,

     When the sewer-hunters consider they have searched long enough […] the gang […] count out the money they have picked up, and proceed to dispose of the old metal, bones, rope, &c.; this done, they then, as they term it, “whack” the whole lot; that is, they divide it equally among all hands.

4. (sports) To beat convincingly; to thrash.
   • 2012, Ryan Pyette, Majors, Panthers play mind games, The London Free Press:

     The fidgety Majors were whacked 9-1 by the Kitchener Panthers at Couch and now trail their rivals 2-0 in an increasingly uncomfortable best-of-seven Intercounty Baseball League first-round series.

5. (Britain, chiefly in the negative) To surpass; to better.
   • 2012, Steve Cullen, Total Flyfisher:

     Recently I was over in Ireland, I love the place, proper fishing, can't whack it!

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:kill

Derived terms

• whack off
• whack the illy

Translations

Adjective

whack (comparative whacker, superlative whackest)

1. Alternative form of wack (“crazy”)

   That's whack, yo!

   • 2007, Joyce E. Davis, Can't Stop The Shine, page 51:

     As they joked about the big butts on female celebrities and what rappers had the whackest lyrics, Malcolm paid little attention to Kalia besides squeezing her hand or grabbing her arm to hold himself up […]

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "whack, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1923.

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: b?t, IPA^(key): /bæt/
• Rhymes: -æt

Etymology 1

Dialectal variant (akin to dialectal Swedish natt-batta) of Middle English bakke, balke, from North Germanic. Compare Old Swedish natbakka, Old Danish nathbakkæ (literally “night-flapper”), Old Norse leðrblaka (literally “leather-flapper”).

Noun

bat (plural bats)

1. Any of the flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.

   • The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.

   • 2012, Suemedha Sood, (bbc.co.uk) Travelwise: Texas love bats [sic]

     As well as being worth millions of dollars to the Texan agriculture industry, these mammals are worth millions of dollars to the state’s tourism industry. Texas is home to the world’s largest known bat colony (in Comal County), and the world’s largest urban bat colony (in Austin). Bat watching is a common activity, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offering more bat-viewing sites than anywhere else in the US.

2. (derogatory) An old woman.

Synonyms

• (flying mammal): chiropter, chiropteran, flindermouse, flittermouse, fluttermouse, flying-mouse, rearmouse/reremouse

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• Appendix:Animals
• Appendix:English collective nouns

Etymology 2

From Middle English bat, batte, from Old English batt (“bat, club, cudgel”), probably of Celtic origin, compare Old Breton bath (“club, cudgel”) and modern Breton bazh (“swagger stick”).

Noun

bat (plural bats)

1. A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.
2. A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.

3. (two-up) The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.
4. (mining) Shale or bituminous shale.
   • 1799, Richard Kirwan, Geological Essays

     bituminous shale ; which miners , if I mistake not , call bat

5. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
6. A part of a brick with one whole end.
7. A stroke; a sharp blow.
8. (Britain, Scotland, dialect) A stroke of work.
9. (informal) Rate of motion; speed.
   • 1842, Sporting Magazine (page 251)

     On starting, The Nun led at a very slow pace for a quarter of a mile, when the Shrigley colt made running at a good bat.

   • 1898, unknown author, Pall Mall Magazine

     a vast host of fowl […] making at full bat for the North Sea.

10. (US, slang, dated) A spree; a jollification.
11. (Britain, Scotland, dialect) Manner; rate; condition; state of health.

Synonyms

• (two-up): kip, stick, kylie, lannet

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

bat (third-person singular simple present bats, present participle batting, simple past and past participle batted)

1. (transitive) To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.

3. (intransitive) To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
4. (intransitive) To strike or swipe as though with a bat.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Etymology 3

Possibly a variant of bate.

Verb

bat (third-person singular simple present bats, present participle batting, simple past and past participle batted)

1. (transitive) To flutter

2. (US, Britain, dialect) To wink.
3. (Britain, dialect, obsolete) To bate or flutter, as a hawk.
4. (intransitive, usually with 'around' or 'about') To flit quickly from place to place.

Usage notes

Most commonly used in the phrase bat an eye, and variants thereof.

Derived terms

• bat an eye, bat an eyelash, bat an eyelid

Etymology 4

Borrowed from French bât, from Old French bast, from Vulgar Latin *bastum, form of *bast?re (“to carry”), from Ancient Greek ??????? (bastáz?, “to lift, carry”). Doublet of baton and baston.

Noun

bat (plural bats)

1. (obsolete) A packsaddle.

Derived terms

• batman

Etymology 5

Noun

bat

1. Dated form of baht (“Thai currency”).

Etymology 6

Noun

bat (plural bats)

1. (Caribbean, MLE) Clipping of batty (“fundament, tewel, butt”).

Anagrams

• ABT, ATB, B.T.A., BTA, TBA, Tab, abt, abt., tab

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• batu

Etymology

From Late Latin batt?, from Latin battu?. Compare Daco-Romanian bate, bat.

Verb

bat (third-person singular present indicative bati/bate, past participle bãtutã)

1. I beat, hit, strike.
2. I defeat.

Synonyms

• (beat): agudescu
• (defeat): azvingu

Related terms

• batiri/batire
• bãteri
• bãtut
• bãtutã
• strãbat

Basque

Etymology

From a reduced form of Proto-Basque *bade (“one, some”), present also in bederatzi (“nine”) and bedera (“same; everyone”). Compared by Eduardo Orduña and Joan Ferrer to Iberian ban (“one”).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /bat/

Determiner

bat

1. a, an, some

Numeral

bat

1. one

Derived terms

• batasun (“unity”)

Pronoun

bat

1. (indefinite) some

Declension

Derived terms

• bakoitz (“each”)

References

Further reading

• “bat” in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus
• Azkue, Resurrección María de (1905–1906) , “bat”, in Diccionario vasco-español-francés = Dictionnaire basque-espagnol-français [Basque-Spanish-French Dictionary] (in Spanish and French), volume 1, Bilbao, page 137

Catalan

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -at

Verb

bat

1. third-person singular present indicative form of batre
2. second-person singular imperative form of batre

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• balat

Noun

bat

1. a type of sea cucumber

Chinese

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b?ad?]

Etymology 1

From English bat.

Noun

bat n (singular definite battet, plural indefinite bat or bats)

1. bat (a club for striking a ball)

Inflection

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

bat

1. imperative of batte

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/
• Homophones: bât, bas, bats

Verb

bat

1. third-person singular present indicative of battre

Anagrams

• t.a.b.

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba?t/
• Rhymes: -a?t
• Homophones: Bad (standard, but not universal), Bart (some speakers)

Verb

bat

1. first-person singular preterite indicative of bitten
2. third-person singular preterite indicative of bitten

Jamaican Creole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bat/
• Hyphenation: bat

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bat (plural: bat dem, quantified: bat)

1. moth (nocturnal insect)

Derived terms

• dunce bat
• duppy bat

Etymology 2

From English bat.

Noun

bat (plural: bat dem, quantified: bat)

1. bat (instrument for hitting or striking)

Derived terms

1. old bat

References

• Richard Allsopp (main editor), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, 2003 (reprint by The University of the West Indies Press, originally 1996 by Oxford University Press), ISBN 9789766401450 (originally ISBN-10: 976-640-145-4), page 83
• bat – jamaicans.com Jamaican Patois dictionary

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese ??? (pat)

Noun

bat

1. week

References

• Kurabe, Keita (2016-12-31) , “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research?^[2], volume 35, DOI:10.14989/219015, ISSN 1349-7804, pages 91–128

Luo

Noun

bat (plural bede)

1. arm

Middle Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bat/

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *bath, from Proto-Germanic *baþ?.

Noun

bat n

1. bath

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: bad
• Limburgish: baad

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *bat, *bet, from Proto-Germanic *batiz.

Adverb

bat

1. better; comparative degree of wel

   Synonym: beter

Alternative forms

• bet

Descendants

• Dutch: bet- only in betovergroot- (“great grand-”) and betweter (“know-it-all”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

bat

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of bidden

Further reading

• “bat (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “bat (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “bat (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN, page I
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “bet (III)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN, page bet

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English batt, from Celtic; influenced by Old French batte.

Alternative forms

• batt, batte, bot

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bat/, /b?t/

Noun

bat (plural battes or botten)

1. A mace, bat, or morningstar (blunt weapon)
2. (rare) A pole or stick used for other
3. (rare, Late Middle English) A strike or hit from a weapon.
4. (rare, Late Middle English) A clump of soft material.

Descendants

• English: bat, batt
• Scots: bat
• ? Irish: bata
• ? Scottish Gaelic: bata

References

• “bat, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-16.

Etymology 2

Noun

bat

1. (Northern) Alternative form of bot (“boat”)

Min Nan

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bait.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b??t/

Noun

b?t m or f (nominative plural b?tas)

1. boat

Declension

Descendants

Old French

Alternative forms

• bot, bote

Etymology

Borrowed from Old English b?t and Middle English bot.

Noun

bat m (oblique plural batz, nominative singular batz, nominative plural bat)

1. boat

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (bat)

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bad/

Verb

bat

1. inflection of is:
   1. third-person plural imperative
   2. third-person plural present subjunctive

Mutation

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bat/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *bat?.

Noun

bat m inan (diminutive bacik)

1. whip (rod)

   Synonym: bicz

Declension

Related terms

• (noun) batog
• (verb) bato?y?

Etymology 2

Noun

bat m inan

1. bateau (type of boat)

Declension

Etymology 3

From Thai ??? (bàat).

Noun

bat m inan

1. baht (official currency of Thailand)

Further reading

• bat in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• bat in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Verb

bat

1. first-person singular present indicative of bate
2. first-person singular present subjunctive of bate
3. third-person plural present indicative of bate

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *bat?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bât/

Noun

b?t m (Cyrillic spelling ????)

1. mallet
2. helve hammer

Declension

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish ?????? (bast?), from ?????? (basmak).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bâ?t/

Noun

b?t m (Cyrillic spelling ????)

1. The tramp of heavy footsteps, as in a military march
   • 1939, ?edomir Minderovi?, Crven je istok i zapad:

     Napred, sve bliže i bliže, / ?uje se koraka bat. / Glas milijona se diže: / Dole fašizam i rat!

     Forward, ever closer and closer, / the tramp of footsteps is heard. / The voice of millions is raised: / Down with fascism and war!

2. (rare) The tramp of horses’ hooves

Declension

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bâ?t/

Noun

b?t m (Cyrillic spelling ????)

1. Alternative form of b?ht

Declension

References

• “bat” in Hrvatski jezi?ni portal
• “bat” in Hrvatski jezi?ni portal
• “bat” in Hrvatski jezi?ni portal

Spanish

Etymology

From English bat.

Noun

bat m (plural bats)

1. (baseball) bat (act of batting)
2. Misspelling of baht.

Turkish

Verb

bat

1. sink (imperative)

Tzotzil

Pronunciation

• (Zinacantán) IPA^(key): /?ät?/

Verb

bat

1. (intransitive) to go

References

• Laughlin, Robert M. (1975) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
• Laughlin, Robert M. [et al.] (1988) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of Santo Domingo Zinacantán, vol. I. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Westrobothnian

Noun

bat f

1. excrement
2. dirt, uncleanliness

Noun

bat m (definite batn, plural baat)

1. Alternative spelling of båt

Yola

Noun

bat

1. Alternative form of bath

References

• Jacob Poole (1867) , William Barnes, editor, A glossary, with some pieces of verse, of the old dialect of the English colony in the baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, J. Russell Smith, ?ISBN

Yucatec Maya

Noun

bat (plural bato?ob)

1. hail, hailstone

Zhuang

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /pa?t??/
• Tone numbers: bat⁷
• Hyphenation: bat

Etymology 1

From Chinese ? (MC pu?t?).

Noun

bat (Sawndip forms ? or ???? or ? or ? or ?, old orthography bat)

1. basin; bowl

   Synonym: (dialectal) angq

Derived terms

Classifier

bat (old orthography bat)

1. basin of; bowl of

Etymology 2

From Chinese ? (MC p??t?, “eight”). Doublet of bet.

Numeral

bat (old orthography bat)

1. eight (used in compounds)

   Synonym: bet