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battery

Syllabification: (bat·ter·y)

Pronunciation: /ˈbatərē/

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Definition of battery

noun (plural batteries)

1a container consisting of one or more cells, in which chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source of power: [as modifier]:battery power

2a fortified emplacement for heavy guns.
an artillery subunit of guns, men, and vehicles.

3a set of units of equipment, typically when connected together:a battery of equipment to monitor blood pressure
an extensive series, sequence, or range of things:children given a battery of tests

4 Law the crime or tort of unconsented physical contact with another person, even where the contact is not violent but merely menacing or offensive. See also assault and battery.

5 (the battery) Baseball the pitcher and the catcher in a game, considered as a unit.

Origin:

Middle English: from French batterie, from battre 'to strike', from Latin battuere. The original sense was 'metal articles wrought by hammering', later 'a number of pieces of artillery used together'; on this was based a sense 'a number of Leyden jars connected up so as to discharge simultaneously' (mid 18th century), from which battery (sense 1) developed. The general meaning 'a set or series of similar units' (battery (sense 3)) dates from the late 19th century

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