Batman Meaning
/ˈbæt.mən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA servant or valet to a military officer.
nounA personal assistant or supporter.
Sentence Examples
Batman is, above all else, a superhero.
Batman is friends with Robin.
Batman and Robin are the only heroes in Gotham.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the movie, the ____ drove a sleek black car to catch the criminal.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The billionaire Bruce Wayne is the secret identity of the hero ____.
Word Origin & History
From bat (“packsaddle”) + man. The element bat is from French bât, from Old French bast, from Late Latin bastum, possibly from Ancient Greek βαστάζω (bastázō, “to bear, carry, lift”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“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:
"[A]s a rule the chambers were occupied only by Stack, who had been Wilfrid's batman in the war, and had for him one of those sphinx-like habits which wear better than expressed devotions."
— 1932, John Galsworthy, chapter III, in Flowering Wilderness […], London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, page 19:
"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:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the movie, the ____ drove a sleek black car to catch the criminal.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The billionaire Bruce Wayne is the secret identity of the hero ____.