batting, vbl. n.
(ˈbætɪŋ)
[f. bat v.1, n.2]
1. The action of using or striking with a bat: † a. formerly in washing or smoothing linen (attrib. in batting-staff, batting-log, etc.).
| 1611 Cotgr., Batoir, a Launderesses batting staffe. 1798 W. Hutton Fam. Hutton 98 A girl of fifteen..lading water into her pail, while standing upon her batting-lag. |
b. in Cricket and Baseball. Also attrib., as batting average, batting glove.
| 1773 Gentl. Mag. XLIII. 451 The hay may rue, that is unhous'd, The batting of that day. 1856 Househ. Words 2 Feb. 59/2 Some tubular batting-gloves. 1867 Ball Players' Chron. 12 Dec. 5/3 The best players are those making the best batting and fielding average. 1870 [see average n.2 6 b]. 1882 Daily Tel. 27 May, Messrs. Thornton and Schultz opened the batting for the Gentlemen. 1910 Westm. Gaz. 14 Apr. 7/4 Cricketers will have to pay a trifle more for batting-gloves and bat handles. |
c. Beating out the impurities from raw cotton, an operation now superseded by use of ‘opening’ and ‘scutching’ machines.
| 1819 Pantologia, Batting Machine..for beating and cleaning cotton. 1835 Ure Philos. Manuf. 311 Batting cotton by hand..seems by far the hardest work in a factory..and is somewhat similar to threshing corn. |
2. concr. Cotton fibre prepared in sheets for quilts or bed-covers; cf. bat n.2 13.
| 1875 H. Wood Therap. (1879) 645 For some purposes a stronger batting..is prepared. 1883 Century Mag. Oct. 819/2 Filtered through six layers of cotton batting. |