batfowl \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English batfowlyn, from bat + fowlyn, foulen to fowl — more at fowl : to catch birds at night by blinding them with a light and knocking them down with a stick or netting them < he taught them to throw flies and bait crawfish nets, to batfowl, and ferret for rabbits — Thomas Hughes >