Forms: 4– bate; (4 bawt), 6–7 bayte, baite. [aphetic form of ABATE v.1]
† 1. trans. To beat down or away; fig. to put an end to. Obs.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 7496. Thow batest wrong, and hauntest ryght.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 87. Bated was þe strife. Ibid., 338. And bate alle oþer outrage.
c. 1430. Hymns to Virg. (1867), 57. Þe deuelis boost þus gan he bate.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 521. Bate the earth from about the roots of Oliues.
† b. intr. To come to an end, cease. Obs.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 440. Þe rayn … batede as fast.
2. trans. To lower, let down; fig. to cast down, humble, depress, deject. (With quot. 1834 cf. 6.)
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 749. Ȝut stod he strong & stif … & ne batedede noȝt is mod.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 153. Myght bere it though he lost and bate nat his countenaunce.
1530. Palsgr., 443/1. I bayte myne eares (Lydgate), I applye them to herken a thynge, Je embats.
1834. S. Rogers, Inscript. Strathfieldsaye, On he went, Bating nor heart, nor hope.
† b. To bate of, from: to bring down or remove from; to deprive of. Obs.
1399. Langl., Rich. Redeless, II. 13. Ffor mowtynge … bawtid ȝoure bestis of here bolde chere.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 869. Who will baite their children and servants from their diligence.
† c. intr. To become dejected or depressed. Obs.
1608. Tourneur, Rev. Trag., II. ii. 54. I bate in courage now.
1678. Dryden, Dram. Wks., IV. 192. His Heroe … Bates of his Mettle; and scarce Rants at all.
3. trans. To beat back or blunt the edge of. lit. and fig. (Perhaps in fig. use combined with some idea of BAIT v.1 II., as if ‘to satisfy the hunger of.’)
1535. Coverdale, Jer. xlvi. 10. The swearde shal deuoure, it shal be satisfied and bated [1611 made drunke] in their bloude.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., I. i. 6. Which shall bate his sythes keene edge.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., III. xv. 85. Caiaphas … to baite his envy, was furiously determined Jesus should die.
1827. F. Cooper, Prairie, I. iii. 43. And now I have bated your curiosity.
† 4. trans. To lower in amount, weight, estimation, to reduce. Obs.
c. 1460. Pol. Poems (1859), II. 286. Theyre … wages be batyd.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., III. iii. 32. These greefes and losses haue so bated mee. Ibid. (1607), Timon, III. iii. 26. Who bates mine Honor, shall not know my Coyne.
1691. Locke, Money, Wks. 1727, II. 34. He must bate the Labourer’s Wages.
† b. intr. To decrease in amount, weight, estimation. Obs.
a. 1541. Wyatt, Poet. Wks. (1861). How that my wealth doth bate.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., III. iii. 2. Doe I not bate? doe I not dwindle?
5. trans. To lessen in force or intensity; to mitigate, moderate, assuage, diminish. Now chiefly in phr. To bate one’s breath: to restrain one’s breathing, and make it soft and gentle.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 10942. And dow þai þar-fore murnand were, Þai batid it mekil wid þair chere.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIII. xxi. (1495), 452. Takyth fro us the beemes of the sonne and batyth heete therof.
a. 1650. Crashaw, Poems (1858), 117. And with some daring drug, Bait the disease.
a. 1653. G. Daniel, Idyll, v. 105. Let’s sift the World; and bate yt Proverbe’s force.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, 41. To his dying day he bated his breath a little when he told the story.
b. intr. To fall off in force or intensity. (Cf. 6.)
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. § 3. 29. His cheerfulness and energy did not bate a jot,.
6. trans. To strike off or take away (a part of); to deduct, subtract.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 26/2. Batyn or abaten of weyte or mesure, subtraho.
1543. Recorde, Gr. Arts, 120 b. Then 8 … from 3 cannot be, therefore do they bate it from a hygher roume.
1602. Life T. Cromwell, II. iii. 92. I will not bate a penny.
1720. Ozell, Vertot’s Rom. Rep., I. IV. 202. Neither of the Parties wou’d bate any thing of its Pretensions.
1809. W. Irving, Knickerb. (1861), 120. I’d not bate one nail’s breadth of the honest truth.
b. with obj. (orig. dative) of the person, etc.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., Epil. Bate me some, and I will pay you some.
1633. G. Herbert, Ch. Porch, xlv. in Temple, 10. Do not bate The place its honour.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 488, ¶ 2. They offered … to bate him the article of bread and butter in the tea-table account.
1867. Parkman, Jesuits N. Amer., viii. (1875), 91. Brébeuf would bate them nothing.
c. ellipt. To deprive (a person) of; also dial. to deduct part of the wages of.
1823. Byron, Juan, XIII. xcviii. Must let slip no occasion, Nor bate (abate) their hearers of an inch.
1854. Mrs. Gaskell, North & S., xvi. ‘Their business [being] to bate us down to clemming point.’
1865. Harland’s Lanc. Lyrics, 242. He winna’ ‘bate’ me when He sees Aw ’ve done as weel ’s aw could. Aw ’se get my wage.
d. To bate an ace: see ACE 3. Bate me an ace, quoth Bolton: an obsolete expression of incredulity.
1570. R. Edwards, Damon & P., in Hazl., Dodsl., IV. 27. Nay, there bate an ace (quod Bolton).
c. 1600. Day, Begg. Bednell Gr. (1881), 110. Bate me an ace of that, qd. Bolton.
† 7. To omit, leave out of count, except. Obs.
a. 1611. Beaum. & Fl., Maid’s Trag., I. i. Bate me the King … He lyes that saies it.
1647. R. Stapylton, Juvenal, 183. For, bate reward, who will at vertue aime?
1679. Dryden, Œdipus, III. i. Bate but his Years, You are his picture.
1704. Swift, T. Tub (1768), I. 117. If you will bate him but the circumstances of method and style.
† 8. To bate of: a. to make an abatement or deduction from, or lessening of. Obs.
1625. B. Jonson, Stapl. News, III. iv. And yet not pay the use; Bate of the use? I am mad with this times manners.
1628. Earle, Microcosm., vi. 14. A good conceit or two bates of such a man, and makes a sensible weakning in him.
1642. R. Carpenter, Experience, II. iv. 179. The dearest friends would bate of their love.
b. to be deficient in.
1633. T. Adams, Exp. 2 Pet. ii. 2. Suppose the example bates of multitude, and is supplied with magnitude.
