Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - batter

 I. verb  Etymology: Middle English bateren, probably frequentative of batten to bat, from bat  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to beat with successive blows so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish  b. bombard  2. to subject to strong, overwhelming, or repeated attack ~ed by forces of change  3. to wear or damage by hard usage or blows a ~ed old hat  intransitive verb to strike heavily and repeatedly ; beat  Synonyms: see maim  • ~er noun  II. noun  Etymology: Middle English bater, probably from bateren  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a mixture consisting chiefly of flour, egg, and milk or water and being thin enough to pour or drop from a spoon  b. a mixture (as of flour and egg) used as a coating for food that is to be fried  2. an instance of ~ing  III. transitive verb  Date: 1973 to coat (food) with ~ for frying  IV. noun  Etymology: origin unknown  Date: 1743 a receding upward slope of the outer face of a structure  V. transitive verb  Date: circa 1882 to give a receding upward slope to (as a wall)  VI. noun  Date: 1773 one that bats; especially the player whose turn it is to bat