Reduced or restrained, most commonly heard in the phrase 'bated breath,' meaning held breath or suppressed anticipation.
Past participle of 'bate,' from Middle English 'baten.' The phrase 'bated breath' has been used since Shakespeare's time to mean restrained or anxious breathing.
Shakespeare used 'bated breath' in *The Merchant of Venice* around 1597, and we still use the exact same phrase today—it's one of those rare instances where an archaic verb survives only in a single, frozen expression.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.