Past tense of 'batten,' meaning to fasten down or secure with wooden strips called battens, especially in sailing or construction.
From 'batten,' which may derive from Old English 'bæt' (bat/stick) or related to beating/striking motion. The nautical sense emerged strongly in the 17th-18th centuries.
The phrase 'batten down the hatches' comes from maritime tradition—sailors would literally nail wooden battens across ship hatches in storms to keep water and crew from being washed overboard, a technique still referenced today.
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