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bate

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
bate 1  (bt)
tr.v. bat·ed, bat·ing, bates
1. To lessen the force or intensity of; moderate: "To his dying day he bated his breath a little when he told the story" (George Eliot). See Usage Note at bait1.
2. To take away; subtract.

[Middle English baten, short for abaten; see abate.]

bate 2 also bait  (bt)
intr.v. bat·ed also bait·ed, bat·ing also bait·ing, bates also baits
To flap the wings wildly or frantically. Used of a falcon.

[Middle English baten, from Old French batre, to beat; see batter1.]

bate1
vb
1. another word for abate
with bated breath holding one's breath in suspense or fear

bate2
vb
(Individual Sports & Recreations / Falconry) (intr) (of hawks) to jump violently from a perch or the falconer's fist, often hanging from the leash while struggling to escape
[from Old French batre to beat, from Latin battuere; related to bat1]

bate3
vb (tr)
(Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Tanning) to soak (skin or hides) in a special solution to soften them and remove chemicals used in previous treatments
n
(Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Tanning) the solution used
[Old English bǣtan to bait1]

bate4
n
Brit slang a bad temper or rage
[from bait1, alluding to the mood of a person who is being baited]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.bate - moderate or restrain; lessen the force of; "He bated his breath when talking about this affair"; "capable of bating his enthusiasm"
curb, hold in, control, moderate, contain, check, hold - lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"
2.bate - flap the wings wildly or frantically; used of falcons
flap, beat - move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"
3.bate - soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments; "bate hides and skins"
chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions
souse, soak, sop, dowse, drench, douse - cover with liquid; pour liquid onto; "souse water on his hot face"


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
" And it's not mesilf ye wud have to be bate in the purliteness; so I made her a bow that wud ha' broken yur heart altegither to behould, and thin I pulled aff me hat with a flourish, and thin I winked at her hard wid both eyes, as much as to say, "True for you, yer a swate little crature, Mrs.
I shouldn't be a bit surprised if you had to write the whole paper; an' as for any boy editor, you could lick him writin', I bate ye, with one hand tied behind ye.
He got the one glance at the foe-swarming field in front of him, and instantly ceased to de- bate the question of his piece being loaded.
 
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