Where does “batten” come from?

batten (Middle Low German) comes from Proto-Germanic batāną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰed- — to improve, make better.

Ancestry of “batten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicbatānąto become better, improve
2Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰed-to improve, make better
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰed- →Every word from Proto-Germanic batāną →
batten — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer