bate

[beyt]

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verb (used with object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

to moderate or restrain: unable to bate our enthusiasm.

to lessen or diminish; abate: setbacks that bated his hopes.

verb (used without object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

to diminish or subside; abate.

Idioms

with bated breath, with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense: We watched with bated breath as the runners approached the finish line.

Origin of bate

1250–1300; Middle English, aphetic variant of abate

Can be confusedbaited bated

bate

[beyt]

verb (used without object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

(of a hawk) to flutter its wings and attempt to escape in a fit of anger or fear.

noun

a state of violent anger or fear.

Origin of bate

1250–1300; Middle English baten to beat, flap (wings, etc.) < Middle French (se) batre ≪ Latin battuere to beat; cf. abate

bate

[beyt]

verb (used with or without object), bat·ed, bat·ing.

Tanning. to soak (leather) after liming in an alkaline solution to soften it and remove the lime.

noun

the solution used.

Origin of bate

1870–75; variant of beat to pare off turf, Old English bǣtan to bait; cognate with Swedish beta to tan, German beissen to macerate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bated

lapse, ebb, slacken, wane, ease, lessen, restrain, abate, curb, moderate, check

Examples from the Web for bated

Contemporary Examples of bated

Throughout Christmas eve and day, the world is monitoring with bated breath.
Sweden’s Burning Christmas Goat
Nina Strochlic
December 25, 2014
Hawking took 10 minutes to build up the answer on his computer and the audience waited with bated breath.
Richard Dawkins: How I Write
Noah Charney
November 27, 2013
We all may have waited with bated breath for Wiig's big, first post-Bridesmaids, post-SNL star vehicle.
Is Kristen Wiig Still ‘Girl Most Likely’ to Succeed?
Kevin Fallon
July 22, 2013

Historical Examples of bated

The first words which he said were spoken sacredly, with bated breath.
Murder Point
Coningsby Dawson
Dorothy listened with bated breath, then turned quickly to Katy.
Pretty Madcap Dorothy
Laura Jean Libbey
In the political clubs, his passing was discussed with bated breath.
The Crevice
William John Burns and Isabel Ostrander
Serina listened with bated breath as Horace read the confirmation.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
To flee was impossible, so with bated breath he stood his ground.
The Boy Land Boomer
Ralph Bonehill

British Dictionary definitions for bated

bate

verb

another word for abate

with bated breath holding one's breath in suspense or fear

bate

verb

(intr) (of hawks) to jump violently from a perch or the falconer's fist, often hanging from the leash while struggling to escape

Word Origin for bate

C13: from Old French batre to beat, from Latin battuere; related to bat 1

bate

verb (tr)

to soak (skin or hides) in a special solution to soften them and remove chemicals used in previous treatments

noun

the solution used

Word Origin for bate

Old English bǣtan to bait 1

bate

⁴

noun

British slang a bad temper or rage

Word Origin for bate

C19: from bait 1, alluding to the mood of a person who is being baited

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bated

bate

v.1

"to reduce, to lessen in intensity," c.1300, shortening of abate (q.v.). Now only in phrase bated breath, which was used by Shakespeare in "The Merchant of Venice" (1596).

bate

v.2

c.1300, "to contend with blows or arguments," from Old French batre "to hit, beat, strike," from Late Latin battere, from Latin batuere "to beat, knock" (see batter (v.)). In falconry, "to beat the wings impatiently and flutter away from the perch." Figurative sense of "to flutter downward" attested from 1580s.