Etymology

From Middle French batterie, from Old French baterie ("action of beating"), from batre ("batter"), from Latin battuō ("beat").

Pronunciation

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• Audio (US) ^[?]

Noun

battery (plural batteries)

1. A device that produces electricity by a chemical reaction between two substances.
2. (law) The crime or tort of intentionally striking another person.
3. A coordinated group of artillery.
4. An array of similar things.
   
   Schoolchildren take a battery of standard tests to measure their progress.
   
   
5. A set of small cages where hens are kept for the purpose of farming their eggs.
6. (baseball) The catcher and the pitcher together
7. (chess) Two or more major pieces on the same rank, file, or diagonal

Derived terms

• assault and battery
• battery hen
• battery power
• battery-backed

See also

• accumulator
• assault
• replacement battery

This entry is from Wiktionary - Dictionary and thesaurus. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.