This is the 1965th most frequent Dutch word.
baten
To benefit; to profit.
'baten' is used here as a verb in the sense of 'to benefit' or 'to be of use'.
Wat baat het om zo veel te werken als je nooit vrije tijd hebt?
What benefit does it have to work so much if you never have free time?
'baten' is used in past tense to express that something did not benefit or yield significant improvement.
Het baatte niet dat hij zo hard studeerde zonder goede begeleiding.
It did not help that he studied so hard without good guidance.
Here, 'baten' refers to the verb's future influence, indicating likely positive effects of a change.