Wiktionary

basil

See also: Basil and BASIL

English

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Ocimum basilicum

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Middle English basile, from Middle French basile, from Old French basile, from Medieval Latin basilicum, from Ancient Greek βασιλικόν (basilikón, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”). Doublet of basilic, basilicon, and basilicum; further related to basileus, basilean, and basileiolatry.

Noun

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basil (usually uncountable, plural basils)

  1. A plant (Ocimum basilicum).
    Synonyms: sweet basil, St. Joseph's wort, common basil, American dittany, great basil
  2. The leaves of this plant used as a herb.
    Synonym: sweet basil
  3. Any other species in the genus Ocimum.
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Indonesian: basil
Translations
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Further reading

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Etymology 2

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Variant of bezel.

Noun

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basil (plural basils)

  1. The angle to which a joiner's tool is ground away.
    • 1678 April 11 – May 11 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Moxon, “Numb[er] IV. The Art of Joynery.”, in Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works, […], volume I, London: […] Joseph Moxon, published 1678, →OCLC, § 10 (Of Grinding and Whetting the Iron, and Other Edge-tools), pages 71–72:
      [H]old the edge of your Iron upvvards in your left hand and your VVhet-ſtone in your right, and having firſt ſpit upon your Stone to vvet it, apply it to the Baſil of your Iron, in ſuch a Poſition that it may bear upon the vvhole bredth of the Baſil; and ſo vvorking the Stone over the Baſil, you vvill quickly vvear the courſer grating of the Grind ſtone off the edge on that ſide: […]

Verb

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basil (third-person singular simple present basils, present participle basilling, simple past and past participle basilled)

  1. (transitive) To grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle.
Synonyms
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Etymology 3

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Corrupted from English basan, from French basane, from Late Latin basanium, from Arabic بِطانَة (biṭāna, “lining”).

Noun

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basil (plural basils)

  1. The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.
Synonyms
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Etymology 4

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From Old French basile (“basilisk”).

Noun

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basil (plural basils)

  1. (obsolete) A type of cannon.
  2. (now historical, archaic) A fetter fastened round the ankle of a prisoner.
    • 2001, Richard Flanagan, Gould's Book of Fish, Vintage, published 2016, page 49:
      When I once more feel that sharp smarting around the scabby sores that cluster like so many oysters on my ankles beneath my chained iron basils, I know that the tide has turned.

Anagrams

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Indonesian

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈbasɪl]
  • Hyphenation: ba‧sil

Etymology 1

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From Dutch bacil, from French bacille, from German Bazillus or translingual Bacillus, coined by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg.

Noun

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basil

  1. bacillus

Etymology 2

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From English basil, from Old French basile, from Medieval Latin basilicum, from Ancient Greek βασιλικόν (basilikón, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”).

Noun

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basil

  1. basil (Ocimum basilicum)
    Synonym: selasih
Derived terms
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Further reading

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