n.
- a thin stick used by a conductor to direct an orchestra or choir.
▸a stick carried and twirled by a drum major.
- a short stick passed from runner to runner in a relay race.
- a police officer's truncheon.
- a staff of office or authority.
▸
(batons)
one of the suits in some tarot packs, corresponding to wands in others.
- Heraldry a narrow bend truncated at each end.
- a short bar replacing some figures on the dial of a clock or watch.
Phrase
- pass
(or take up)
the baton
hand over (or take up) a duty or responsibility.
Etymology
C16: from Fr. bâton, earlier baston, from late L. bastum ‘stick’.
