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 club
2 : a staff borne as a symbol of office
3 : a narrow heraldic bend
4 : a slender rod with which a leader directs a band or orchestra
5 : a hollow cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner
6 : 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