A large, flat wooden tray or pan, especially one used in Latin America for washing gold or other materials from streams and rivers.
From Spanish 'batea,' which comes from an indigenous Caribbean language, possibly Taíno. The word traveled throughout Spanish-speaking regions via trade and colonial mining practices.
Gold prospectors in Spanish America used bateas for centuries—the iconic image of someone swirling sediment in a pan to find gold flakes comes from this simple but ingenious tool that's still used today.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.