Batteries

Battery \Bat"ter*y\, n.; pl. {Batteries}. [F. batterie, fr.
   battre. See {Batter}, v. t.]
   1. The act of battering or beating.
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   2. (Law) The unlawful beating of another. It includes every
      willful, angry and violent, or negligent touching of
      another's person or clothes, or anything attached to his
      person or held by him.
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   3. (Mil.)
      (a) Any place where cannon or mortars are mounted, for
          attack or defense.
      (b) Two or more pieces of artillery in the field.
      (c) A company or division of artillery, including the
          gunners, guns, horses, and all equipments. In the
          United States, a battery of flying artillery consists
          usually of six guns.
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   {Barbette battery}. See {Barbette}.

   {Battery d'enfilade}, or {Enfilading battery}, one that
      sweeps the whole length of a line of troops or part of a
      work.

   {Battery en ['e]charpe}, one that plays obliquely.

   {Battery gun}, a gun capable of firing a number of shots
      simultaneously or successively without stopping to load.
      

   {Battery wagon}, a wagon employed to transport the tools and
      materials for repair of the carriages, etc., of the
      battery.

   {In battery}, projecting, as a gun, into an embrasure or over
      a parapet in readiness for firing.

   {Masked battery}, a battery artificially concealed until
      required to open upon the enemy.

   {Out of battery}, or {From battery}, withdrawn, as a gun, to
      a position for loading.
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   4. (Elec.)
      (a) A number of coated jars (Leyden jars) so connected
          that they may be charged and discharged
          simultaneously.
      (b) An apparatus for generating voltaic electricity.
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   Note: In the {trough battery}, copper and zinc plates,
         connected in pairs, divide the trough into cells, which
         are filled with an acid or oxidizing liquid; the effect
         is exhibited when wires connected with the two
         end-plates are brought together. In {Daniell's
         battery}, the metals are zinc and copper, the former in
         dilute sulphuric acid, or a solution of sulphate of
         zinc, the latter in a saturated solution of sulphate of
         copper. A modification of this is the common {gravity
         battery}, so called from the automatic action of the
         two fluids, which are separated by their specific
         gravities. In {Grove's battery}, platinum is the metal
         used with zinc; two fluids are used, one of them in a
         porous cell surrounded by the other. In {Bunsen's} or
         the {carbon battery}, the carbon of gas coke is
         substituted for the platinum of Grove's. In
         {Leclanch['e]'s battery}, the elements are zinc in a
         solution of ammonium chloride, and gas carbon
         surrounded with manganese dioxide in a porous cell. A
         {secondary battery} is a battery which usually has the
         two plates of the same kind, generally of lead, in
         dilute sulphuric acid, and which, when traversed by an
         electric current, becomes charged, and is then capable
         of giving a current of itself for a time, owing to
         chemical changes produced by the charging current. A
         {storage battery} is a kind of secondary battery used
         for accumulating and storing the energy of electrical
         charges or currents, usually by means of chemical work
         done by them; an accumulator.
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   5. A number of similar machines or devices in position; an
      apparatus consisting of a set of similar parts; as, a
      battery of boilers, of retorts, condensers, etc.
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   6. (Metallurgy) A series of stamps operated by one motive
      power, for crushing ores containing the precious metals.
      --Knight.
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   7. The box in which the stamps for crushing ore play up and
      down.
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   8. (Baseball) The pitcher and catcher together.
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