batman

Noun (1)

batman (plural batmen)

1. A servant or valet to a military officer.
   • “Private McLean,” he called to his batman who, for one-and-six a week, cared for his belongings, “tak' chairge o' the dog, wull ye, an' fetch 'im to the non-com mess when ye come to put ma kit i' gude order.”1912, Eleanor Atkinson, Greyfriars Bobby
   • Having left that soldier who was evidently drunk, Rostóv stopped the horse of a batman or groom of some important personage and began to question him.1922, chapter XVIII, in Aylmer and Louise Maude, transl., War and Peace, translation of original by Leo Tolstoy, book 3

   Synonyms:

   orderly

2. (broadly, informal) A personal assistant or supporter.
   • He became my retainer, my batman, the solution to my ever-growing need for an extra pair of hands.2008, Darren Smith, Fade, →ISBN, page 278
   • Thank you to a special Carer, Thank you for being my nurse, My housemaid, and my cook, My batman and my chauffeur, And my eyes when I forget to look!2012, Jeffery Hayton, Just One More Time, →ISBN, page 78

Verb (1)

batman (third-person singular simple present batmans, present participle batmanning, simple past and past participle batmanned)

1. To act as a batman, wait on an officer.
   • Batmanning was voluntary. McPherson was a bit incensed about the loss of his batman, but he made do with somebody else.1985, Chris Vokes, John Philip Maclean, Vokes, my story, page 98
   • OK, I batmanned. Give me an Xterm.2000, Baylor Wetzel, Winter Project, →ISBN, page 96

Noun (2)

UK/batˈman/

batman (plural batmans)

1. (Turkish units of measure) A unit of weight established in 1931 equal to 10 kg.
2. (historical) A Turkish unit of weight varying by location, time, and item from 2–8 okas (about 2.5–10 kg).
   • Euery bateman [in Bagdad] maketh 7. pound and 5. ounces English waight.1583 July 20, J. Newbery, letter in Richard Hakluyt's The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, p. 209
   • A Batman is fiue and fiftie pound weight English.1614, Samuel Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimage, page 544

Noun (3)

UK/ˈbæt.mæn/

batman

1. Coelostathma discopunctana, a moth of Eastern North America.

Verb (2)

UK/ˈbæt.mæn/

batman (third-person singular simple present batmans, present participle batmanning, simple past and past participle batmanned)

1. (slang) To climb up or down a rope free hand (i.e. as Batman does).
   • At 16,200 feet I batmanned madly down the fixed ropes, stopping constantly to catch my breath, not sure how much longer I could continue.1993, Steve Roper, Allen Steck, The Best of Ascent: Twenty-Five Years of the Mountaineering Experience
   • Instead, they batmanned effortlessly hand-over-hand up the rope like kids pulling in perch.2005, Alan Hobson, Jamie Clarke, Above All Else: The Everest Dream, →ISBN, page 53

Proper noun (1) capitalized: Batman

UK/bætˈmɑːn/

Batman

1. A province in the Black Sea region, in northern Turkey.
2. A district of Batman Province, Turkey.
3. A municipality, the capital city of Batman district and Batman Province, Turkey.

Proper noun (2) capitalized: Batman

UK/ˈbæt.mæn/

Batman

1. A surname.

Proper noun (3) capitalized: Batman

UK/ˈbæt.mæn/

Batman (plural Batmans or Batmen)

1. A fictional hero and the main protagonist of DC Comics, noted for his intellect and stealth, who uses a bat-themed costume and equipment (including a belt with an array of utilities) and is assisted by his sidekick Robin.
   • You’re afraid of being ashes. You’re afraid of being forgotten. And you will be forgotten, Joker. Because of me. I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!2015, Batman: Arkham Knight, spoken by Batman (Kevin Conroy), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, via Rocksteady Studios
   • “But next time—” Night vanished before the guard could finish—just kind of disappeared like Batman—which Viv found almost as annoying as the fact that he'd dragged her down a well. He didn't think he had to explain himself?2015, Sarah Cross, Tear You Apart, Carolrhoda Lab, →ISBN, page 68

Interjection capitalized: Batman

UK/ˈbæt.mæn/

Batman

1. An intensifier for interjections created with the adjective holy, in imitation of dialogue between Batman and his sidekick Robin.
   • Holy guacamole, Batman!
   • Holy nostalgic flashback, Batman! Aly and AJ Michalka, the actor-musician sister duo known for dominating Radio Disney in the late aughts (they’ve also released some very good music since then), just sent us straight back to our tweens by wearing none other than iconic mall brand Limited Too.2024 July 1, Elizabeth Logan, “Aly & AJ in the New Limited Too Collection Has Me Checking What Year It Is”, in Glamour

Verb (3) capitalized: Batman

UK/ˈbæt.mæn/

Batman (third-person singular simple present Batmans, present participle Batmanning, simple past and past participle Batmanned)

1. (slang) Alternative letter-case form of batman.
   • He laughed, Batmanned back up to his last piece of gear and hammered a 5/8-inch angle piton into the crack with an ascending ring like any nail met with a hammer.2014, Ken Wylie, Buried, →ISBN, page 140