bates

noun

1. Katherine Lee,1859–1929, U.S. educator and author.

verb (used with object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

1. to moderate or restrain: unable to bate our enthusiasm.
2. to lessen or diminish; abate: setbacks that bated his hopes.

verb (used without object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

3. to diminish or subside; abate.

Idioms

4. with bated breath, with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense: We watched with bated breath as the runners approached the finish line.

verb (used without object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

1. (of a hawk) to flutter its wings and attempt to escape in a fit of anger or fear.

noun

2. a state of violent anger or fear.

verb (used with or without object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

1. Tanning. to soak (leather) after liming in an alkaline solution to soften it and remove the lime.

noun

2. the solution used.

noun

1. Sir Alan (Arthur). 1934–2003, British film and stage actor. His films include A Kind of Loving (1962), Women in Love (1969), The Go-Between (1971), and The Cherry Orchard (1999)
2. H (erbert) E (rnest). 1905–74, English writer of short stories and novels, which include The Darling Buds of May (1958), A Moment in Time (1964), and The Triple Echo (1970)

verb

1. another word for abate
2. with bated breath holding one’s breath in suspense or fear

verb

1. (intr) (of hawks) to jump violently from a perch or the falconer’s fist, often hanging from the leash while struggling to escape

verb (tr)

1. to soak (skin or hides) in a special solution to soften them and remove chemicals used in previous treatments

noun

2. the solution used

noun

1. British slang a bad temper or rage

v.1

“to reduce, to lessen in intensity,” c.1300, shortening of abate (q.v.). Now only in phrase bated breath, which was used by Shakespeare in “The Merchant of Venice” (1596).

v.2

c.1300, “to contend with blows or arguments,” from Old French batre “to hit, beat, strike,” from Late Latin battere, from Latin batuere “to beat, knock” (see batter (v.)). In falconry, “to beat the wings impatiently and flutter away from the perch.” Figurative sense of “to flutter downward” attested from 1580s.