Obs. exc. dial. Forms: 6–7 battill, battell, batle, battle, 6 batel(l, 7 battel, 8–9 Sc. baittle, bettle. [For the etymology and mutual relations of this and the cognate BATTLE v.3, data are wanting; according to present evidence, the adj. appears earliest, being found in Scotch in 1513. Its form and sense agree with a derivation from *bat, representing ON. bati ‘improvement, getting better,’ Du. baat ‘improvement, advantage, profiting, profit,’ referred to under BATTEN v.1; with suffix as in brittle, bruckle, fickle, newfangle, and OE. etol, drincol, wittol. This would give as the primary sense ‘given, tending, or fitted, to improve, better, fatten, etc.’ All the related words have a smack of Northern origin: ‘battle or baittle grass’ is still common in south of Scotland.
The non-occurrence of bat, while its presumed derivatives, battle, battable, batful, batsome, are so frequent in 16–17th c., is a difficulty; as is also the fact that batt-le, batt-able point to a verbal rather than a substantive base, and yet can hardly have been formed on batt-en.]
1. Of grass or pasture: Improving or nutritious to sheep and cattle; feeding, nourishing, fattening.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. x. 25. With battill gers, fresche erbis and grene suardis.
1533. Bellenden, Livy, I. (1822), 13. To refresche thaim with the battell gers thairof.
1641. Best, Farm. Bks. (1856), 28. A battle, sweete, moist, and (as wee say) a naturall grasse, and doth the sheepe much good.
1822. Scott, Pirate, III. 182 (Jam.). We turn heather into green-sward, and the poor yarpha into baittle grass-land.
Mod. (Roxburghshire), Hillsides covered with fine baittle grass.
2. Hence, of soil or land: Rich, fertile, productive, fruitful (properly in pasture, but sometimes generally).
c. 1540. Brinklow, Complaynt, iv. B. v b. Ye most batell and frutefull grownd in Ingland.
1563. Hyll, Art Garden. (1593), 6. A fruitfull profitable, and a batle ground.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 472. The soile is exceeding battill and fat. Ibid. (1610), Camden’s Brit., II. 102. A plenteous and battle country for feeding and raising of cattell.
1609. Butler, Fem. Mon., i. (1623), B j. There is no ground … whether it be battle or barren.
1693. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen., 214. Battel or fruitful, fertilis.
1807. Hogg, Mount. Bard, 124 (Jam.). On Ettrick’s baittle haughs.
