baton: Meaning and Definition of
ba•ton
Pronunciation: (bu-ton', ba-, bat'n), [key]
— n.
- a wand used by a conductor.
- a rod of lightweight metal fitted with a weighted bulb at each end and carried and twirled by a drum major or majorette.
- a hollow rod of wood, paper, or plastic that is passed during a race from one member of a relay team to the next in a prescribed area.
- a staff, club, or truncheon, esp. one serving as a mark of office or authority.
-
- a diminutive of the bend sinister, couped at the extremities: used in England as a mark of bastardy.
- a similar diminutive of the ordinary bend.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.