# battery

Pronunciation: US say "BAT-uh-ree" /ˈbæt.əɹi/; UK say "BAT-ree" /ˈbæt.(ə)ɹi/

## Noun

1. A device that powers electric equipment, made up of one or more connected electrochemical cells.
   - Simple: A small object that stores electricity and gives power to things like phones, toys and cars.
   - _The smoke detector beeps when its battery runs low._
   - _Electric cars store energy in large batteries mounted under the floor._
2. The energy stored in a device's battery, especially the amount remaining before recharging. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The amount of power left in a phone, laptop, or other device.
   - _Streaming video drains battery much faster than reading does._
   - _The laptop's new update is supposed to use less battery overnight._
3. The unlawful use of force or offensive physical contact against another person, traditionally distinguished from assault, the threat of such force.
   - Simple: The act of touching or hitting another person on purpose in a harmful or unwanted way, which is against the law.
   - _She faced charges of assault and battery after the altercation._
   - _Unwanted physical contact, even without injury, can constitute battery._
4. A group of artillery guns operating together, or the military unit of guns and crews that operates them.
   - Simple: A group of big military guns used together, and the soldiers who fire them.
   - _He commanded a battery in the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment._
   - _Each battery in the battalion reported its ammunition levels by radio._
6. An array or series of similar things, especially tests, questions, or pieces of equipment used together.
   - Simple: A large group or set of similar things used together.
   - _Applicants must complete a battery of psychological assessments before the interview._
   - _A battery of floodlights lit the stadium for the night game._
5. An elevated platform or raised emplacement on which cannons could be placed and fired.
   - Simple: A raised platform built in past times to hold large guns.
   - _Visitors can climb onto the old stone battery where cannons once guarded the harbor._
   - _Engineers cut a battery into the hillside overlooking the bay._
7. A series of small connected cages in which laying hens are confined for intensive egg production.
   - Simple: A system of small cages where farm hens are kept to lay eggs.
   - _Hens raised in a battery rarely have room to spread their wings._
   - _The new state law phases out battery cages in favor of larger enclosures._
8. In baseball, the pitcher and the catcher considered together as a single unit.
   - Simple: In baseball, the pitcher and catcher playing together as a pair.
   - _The veteran battery of Smith and Jones held the lineup to three hits._
   - _Both halves of the battery were named to the all-star team._

## Noun

9. The full set of utensils and equipment used for preparing or serving meals. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The pots, pans, and tools used to cook and serve food.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In a marching band, the percussion section that marches on the field during a performance; more generally, any marching percussion ensemble.
- (noun) The condition of a firearm or artillery piece when its mechanism is fully closed or positioned so it can safely fire.
- (noun) Two or more chess pieces positioned to work together along the same rank, file, or diagonal.

## Origin

English borrowed Middle French batterie, which developed from Old French baterie ("action of beating"). That noun derives from batre ("to beat"), tracing back to Latin battuō ("beat"), perhaps of Gaulish origin. Benjamin Franklin coined the electrical sense by comparing his connected set of Leyden jars to a military battery.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/battery (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).