The verb batten is used in variations of the phrase " batten down the hatches," which means "to prepare for a difficult or dangerous situation." It winds back to Latin battuere, meaning "to beat."

(usually foll by: on) to thrive, esp at the expense of someone else: to batten on the needy.

Phrasal verb batten on someone (Definition of batten from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood [1] but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields.

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BATTEN definition: to thrive by feeding; grow fat. See examples of batten used in a sentence.

BATTEN meaning: 1 : to prepare for possible trouble or difficulty; 2 : to tie, close, or cover (something) in order to prevent it from moving or becoming damaged

A batten is a strip of wood or metal that's used to provide structure to a roof or wall or as a support for a sail or hatch on a ship.

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Semaj J. Batten entered into eternal rest on Friday, February 20, 2026. On Friday, February 27, 2026, viewing will take place from 3-6pm at Shivers Funeral Chapel. At 12pm on Saturday, February 28, …