ETYM French bâton. Related to Baston.
1. Short rod passed from runner to runner in a relay race.
2. Slender rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra.
Stick used by a conductor to control an orchestra. Typically, the baton is held in the right hand and is used in order to make the conductor's signals more apparent. Generally, conductors do not use a baton when working with choirs or small instrumental ensembles. Earliest records of the baton date to the Sistine Chapel during the 15th century, when the conductor used a roll of paper to beat time. Lully used a large cane. During the 19th century the first violinist waved his bow to conduct. The modern baton seems to have originated in the early 19th century, with its use by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.