English Explanatory Dictionary

batlet

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A short bat for beating clothes when washing them.

Pronunciation

/ˈbætlət/

Word forms

batlet batlets

Etymology

From bat + -let. Probably a spurious word, in the 20th century reborrowed from word-lists. Both this and batler are only known from the same Shakespeare locus; neither is it known that battler means a fuller’s beetle but him who beetles or “posses” the clothes. However for the meaning of a flat cuboid on a handle to clean textiles by muscles battril, which could be a metathesis of batler, is known to have been used in the Lancashire dialect, such as by Tim Bobbin on multiple occasions.

Synonyms

batling staff batting staff battledore clap staff fuller’s beetle laundry bat washing bat washing beetle washing paddle
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