VERB (3)

1. moderate or restrain; lessen the force of;
- Example: "He bated his breath when talking about this affair"
- Example: "capable of bating his enthusiasm"

2. flap the wings wildly or frantically; used of falcons;

3. soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments;
- Example: "bate hides and skins"

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Grainer \Grain"er\ (gr[=a]n"[~e]r), n.
   1. An infusion of pigeon's dung used by tanners to neutralize
      the effects of lime and give flexibility to skins; --
      called also grains and bate.
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   2. A knife for taking the hair off skins.
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   3. One who paints in imitation of the grain of wood, marble,
      etc.; also, the brush or tool used in graining.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, v. i. [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait
   to flutter.]
   To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] --Bacon.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, n. (Jewish Antiq.)
   See 2d Bath.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, n. [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and
   E. bite.]
   An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain
   animals; -- employed in the preparation of hides; grainer.
   --Knight.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, v. t.
   To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Bating.] [From abate.]
   1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to
      abate; to beat down; to lower.
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            He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not
            employ or not pay him.                --Locke.
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   2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction.
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            To whom he bates nothing of what he stood upon with
            the parliament.                       --South.
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   3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.]
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            Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood,
            He lies that says it.                 --Beau. & Fl.
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   4. To remove. [Obs.]
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            About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of
            olives, and lay them bare.            --Holland.
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   5. To deprive of. [Obs.]
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            When baseness is exalted, do not bate
            The place its honor for the person's sake.
                                                  --Herbert.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, v. i.
   1. To remit or retrench a part; -- with of.
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            Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. --Dryden.
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   2. To waste away. [Obs.] --Shak.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, v. t.
   To attack; to bait. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\, n. [Prob. abbrev. from debate.]
   Strife; contention. [Obs.] --Shak.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bate \Bate\,
   imp. of Bite. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

bate
    v 1: moderate or restrain; lessen the force of; "He bated his
         breath when talking about this affair"; "capable of bating
         his enthusiasm"
    2: flap the wings wildly or frantically; used of falcons
    3: soak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals
       used in previous treatments; "bate hides and skins"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

122 Moby Thesaurus words for "bate":
   abate, ablate, abrade, abstract, alleviate, allow, attenuate, bar,
   be eaten away, blunt, charge off, close, consume, consume away,
   corrode, count out, crumble, curtail, cut, debar, decline,
   decrease, deduct, deliquesce, depreciate, derogate, detract,
   die away, die down, dilute, diminish, discount, disedge, disparage,
   dive, drain, draw the teeth, drop, drop off, dull, dwindle, ease,
   ease off, ease up, eat away, ebb, eliminate, erode, except,
   extenuate, extract, fall, fall away, fall off, file away, impair,
   kick back, languish, leach, lessen, let down, let up, loose,
   loosen, make allowance, melt away, mitigate, moderate, obtund,
   plummet, plunge, purify, rebate, reduce, refine, refund, relax,
   remit, remove, repress, retrench, retund, rub away, rule out,
   run low, sag, shorten, shrink, sink, slack, slack off, slack up,
   slacken, slake, subduct, subside, subtract, suspend, tail off,
   take a premium, take away, take from, take off, taper, taper off,
   thin, thin out, turn, unbend, unbrace, unstrain, unstring, wane,
   waste, waste away, water down, weaken, wear, wear away, weed,
   withdraw, write off