Main Entry:

ba·ton

Pronunciation:

\bə-ˈtän, ba- also ˈba-t^ən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French bâton, from Old French baston, ultimately from Late Latin bastum stick

Date:

1520

1: cudgel, truncheon ; specifically : billy club2: a staff borne as a symbol of office3: a narrow heraldic bend4: a slender rod with which a leader directs a band or orchestra5: a hollow cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner6: a hollow metal rod with a weighted bulb at one or both ends that is flourished or twirled by a drum major or drum majorette