batman

[ bat-muh n ]

/ ˈbæt mən /

noun, plural bat·men. (in the British army)

a soldier assigned to an officer as a servant.

Origin of batman

1745–55; short for bat-horse man, equivalent to bat < French bât packsaddle (< Vulgar Latin *bastum, noun derivative of *bastāre to carry < Late Greek *bastân, re-formation of Greek bastázein to lift, carry) + horse + man¹

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

Examples from the Web for batman

I heard that at one point you were trying to put together a Batman musical on Broadway.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With Batman and Planet of the Apes, you seem to be operating around 15 years ahead of the culture.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Comic book heroes are even hotter—Spiderman and Batman probably earn more money nowadays than Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?|Ted Gioia|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When she joins Batman and Superman in the Justice Society of America, she does so as secretary.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Such standout performances have been rare: her big-screen blockbuster salvo, Batman Begins (2005), fizzled to nothing.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’?|Tim Teeman|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Batman died in September, 1869, at the age of 77, and his funeral was one of the largest ever seen in Melbourne.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles
I would stand the drinks, and Howlett (my chauffeur) played the mouth-organ, and Green (my batman) (p.058) step-danced.
An Onlooker in France 1917-1919|William Orpen
My batman was consumed with curiosity as to what a scorpion was like; he had 'heard tell of them' in Gallipoli.
The Leicestershires beyond Baghdad|Edward John Thompson
Our own bunks are quite civilised and cosy, though as small as half a big bathing-machine—swept out by our batman.
Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915|Anonymous
In the afternoon I sent for my batman, Critchley, as I expected to be here some days.
At Ypres with Best-Dunkley|Thomas Hope Floyd

British Dictionary definitions for batman

batman

/ (ˈbætmən) /

noun plural -men

an officer's personal servant in any of the armed forces

Word Origin for batman

C18: from Old French bat, bast, from Medieval Latin bastum packsaddle

Batman

/ (ˈbætˌmæn) /

noun

a character in an American comic strip and several films who secretly assumes a batlike costume in order to fight crime

Batman

/ (ˈbætmən) /

noun

John . 1801–39, a pioneer who selected the site of the city of Melbourne

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 batman

batman

"officer's servant," originally military title for "man in charge of a bat-horse and its load," 1755, from bat "pack-saddle" (late 14c.), from Old French bast (Modern French bât), from Late Latin bastum (see baton). Hence also batwoman (1941). The comic book hero dates from 1939.

Culture definitions for batman

Batman

A comic strip character that first appeared in 1939. With his faithful sidekick Robin (the Boy Wonder), Batman fights crime in Gotham City, foiling evil villains such as the Joker and the Riddler.

Note

Batman's adventures have been widely adapted for television and a number of motion pictures.

batman

noun, plural bat·men. (in the British army)

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Origin of batman

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batman

noun plural -men

Word Origin for batman

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noun

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