batch

The quantity of bread or other baked goods baked at one time.

Adjective

  1. Of a process, operating for a defined set of conditions, and then halting.
    • The plant had two batch assembly lines for packaging, as well as a continuous feed production line.

Origin

From Middle English bach, bache, bahche, from Old English *bæċċ (“something baked”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-West Germanic *bakku, from Proto-Germanic *bakkuz (“baking, baked goods”), cognate with Middle High German becke (“something baked, pastry, baking, bakery”). Related also to Old English bacan (“to bake”), Old English ġebæc (“something baked”), Dutch gebak, German Gebäck, Dutch baksel.

Antonyms

continuous

Derived

batch mode batch process

Noun Entry 2

  1. The quantity of bread or other baked goods baked at one time.
    • We made a batch of cookies to take to the party.
  2. A quantity of anything produced at one operation.
    • We poured a bucket of water in at the top, and the ice-maker dispensed a batch of ice-cubes at the bottom.

    Synonyms: pressing run lot

  3. A group or collection of things of the same kind, such as a batch of letters or the next batch of business.
    • c. 1710-1720, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Epistle to Lord Hervey on the King's Birthday a new batch of Lords

    Synonyms: group lot

  4. A set of data to be processed at one time.
    • The system throttled itself to batches of 50 requests at a time to keep the thread count under control.
  5. A bread roll.
  6. A graduating class; school class.
    • She was the valedictorian of Batch ’73.
  7. The process of baking.
    • Except the baker doe his part also in the batch. - 1551, T. Wilson, Logike 42 b:

Forms

batches

Derived

batch-edit batch file batch job batchmate batch picking batch processing batch production batch queue batchwise interbatch intrabatch masterbatch microbatch minibatch multi-batch picking prebatch subbatch zone-batch picking zone-batch-wave picking

Noun Entry 3

  1. A bank; a sandbank.
  2. A field or patch of ground lying near a stream; the dale in which a stream flows.

Origin

From Middle English bache, bæcche, from Old English bæċ, beċe (“brook, stream”). Doublet of beck. More at beach.

Forms

batches baiche

Verb Entry 4

  1. To aggregate things together into a batch.
    • The contractor batched the purchase orders for the entire month into one statement.
    • Sound but more workaday fleeces are batched to make roving and yarn. - 2026, Robin Nistock, quotee, “Makers Space”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 13:
  2. To handle a set of input data or requests as a batch process.
    • The purchase requests for the day were stored in a queue and batched for printing the next morning.

Forms

batches batching batched

Derived

batchable batch up rebatch

Verb informal

  1. To live as a bachelor temporarily, of a married man or someone virtually married.
    • I am batching next week when my wife visits her sister.

Origin

Clipping of bachelor (“unmarried adult male”).

Forms

batches batching batched