noun / verb
batten
BAT-un/bˈætʌn/
A narrow strip used to fasten or secure something.
The carpenter fastens a wooden batten across the loose boards.
Etymology
The 'stout staff' became a wooden strip nailed across boards to hold them together. The verb turns that object into an action: securing something with such strips.
In context
Nail down the lid; caulk the seams; pay over the same with pitch; batten them down tight, and hang it with the snap- spring over the ship’s stern.
More examples
- The crew battens down the hatches before the storm.
- Several narrow battens support the wall covering.
- They battened the protective sheet firmly in place.
Forms
batten · battens · battened · battening