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batte·ment

(bătmənt, bă′tə-mäɴ)

In dance, a kicking movement done with a lifted leg.

[French, action of beating, battement, from Old French, action of beating, from batre, to beat; see BATTER.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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