Bat
Gary from Cross Village,
Michigan, called Words to the Wise to ask why the implement used to strike the ball
in baseball is called a BAT. The basic reason is that the word was already long
in use in a somewhat similar stick-and-ball game, cricket. It was ripe for
borrowing.
Ultimately, it came from
a Latin verb that meant to strike. As
I mentioned on an earlier program, bat is one of those words that has wildly
unconnected meanings, principally because an identical spelling evolved from completely
different sources.
·
Flying
mammals [Scandinavian]
A sports
stick or club [French]
·
A
pack-saddle [French]
·
A spree or
binge [unknown]
·
The
colloquial speech of a foreign country [Hindi]
Other implements used in
stick-and-ball games include the following:
·
STICK: [Latin,
to spur on]
·
CLUB: [Germanic/Scandinavian,
a mass of wood]
·
PADDLE: [ Latin, a spade-like implement]
·
RACQUET: [French,
palm-like implement]
·
MALLET: [French,
hammer]
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts Dictionary, 2nd edition
Nook edition
Nook edition
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