labattage

Labattage is an obscure term that appears in a limited set of historical and linguistic sources, and it does not have a single, widely recognized definition. In some agrarian texts, it is linked to the French word battage, which denotes threshing, and may be used to describe the act, period, or practice of threshing as such.

Etymology and attestation: The form appears to derive from la battage or le battage in French, and is often treated as a nominalized variant or regional usage rather than a standard technical term. In other contexts, labattage has shown up in onomastic records as a surname or as part of place-names, suggesting a different, non-productive semantic role.

Current usage and scholarly status: Due to its rarity, labattage is not included in major dictionaries, and attestations vary by manuscript or region. Its precise sense is therefore uncertain, and researchers typically treat it as a lemma requiring corroboration from primary sources. Some instances may reflect transcription error or regional spelling practices rather than a distinct concept.

Related terms and contexts: See also battage (the act of threshing) and threshing more generally, as well as toponymic and onomastic studies that examine how agricultural labor terms enter place-names and surnames.