noun
battery
Physical assault involving forceful contact.
The charge of battery concerns the defendant's alleged physical contact.
Etymology
The French source names beating. The legal sense retains the idea of force applied to a person’s body, extending beyond repeated blows to unlawful physical contact.
More examples
- The court distinguishes battery from a threat of violence.
- The old account describes the wall's battery by enemy guns.
- She reports the incident as an act of battery.