entry
baton
/bəˈtɑːn/A staff, conductor’s wand, or relay-race object
From French, ultimately Late Latin baton (staff).
from Old French baston (12c.) "stick, staff, rod,"
from Late Latin bastum "stout staff," which probably is of Gaulish origin or else
from Old French baston (12c.) "stick, staff, rod,"
from French bâton "stick, walking stick, staff, club, wand,"
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Old French baston (12c.) "stick, staff, rod,"
from Late Latin bastum "stout staff," which probably is of Gaulish origin or else
from Old French baston (12c.) "stick, staff, rod,"
from French bâton "stick, walking stick, staff, club, wand,"
+1 more sourcePicture a medieval traveler gripping a stout stick—not yet the elegant white wand of an orchestra conductor, but something closer to a walking staff or club. English picked up baton from French in the 1540s, while French bâton came through Old French baston from Late Latin bastum, “stout staff.” The deeper source is an etymological fork in the road: it may be Gaulish, or it may connect with a reconstructed Greek form *baston, related to a verb meaning “to lift, carry, or support.” By the 1580s, the stick had become a badge of office; by 1823, French musical practice had turned it into the conductor’s wand, and relay runners later made it an object literally carried from hand to hand. So baton began as something that supports a person—and ended up directing an entire orchestra or carrying a race team’s hopes.
The Story
Picture a medieval traveler gripping a stout stick—not yet the elegant white wand of an orchestra conductor, but something closer to a walking staff or club. English picked up baton from French in the 1540s, while French bâton came through Old French baston from Late Latin bastum, “stout staff.” The deeper source is an etymological fork in the road: it may be Gaulish, or it may connect with a reconstructed Greek form *baston, related to a verb meaning “to lift, carry, or support.” By the 1580s, the stick had become a badge of office; by 1823, French musical practice had turned it into the conductor’s wand, and relay runners later made it an object literally carried from hand to hand. So baton began as something that supports a person—and ended up directing an entire orchestra or carrying a race team’s hopes.
Modern Usage
A derogatory slang term for a woman portrayed as having sexual partners in succession.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry using a relay-race metaphor
Kin & Kindred
From 'baton'·staff, stick, rod, or club
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary