BASIL. See BEZEL.
BASILICA, baz-il'ik-a, _n._ among the Romans, a large oblong hall, with double colonnades and a semicircular apse at the end, used for judicial and commercial purposes--many of them were afterwards converted into Christian churches: a magnificent church built after the plan of the ancient basilica.--_adj._ BASIL'ICAN. [L. _basilica_, Gr. _basilik[=e]_ (_oikia_, a house), belonging to a king, from _basileus_, a king.]
BASILICON, baz-il'ik-on, _n._ a name given to various kinds of ointment as possessing sovereign virtues. [Gr. _basilikon_, royal.]
BASILISK, baz'il-isk, _n._ a fabulous creature, about a foot long, with a black-and-yellow skin and fiery red eyes, so named, according to Pliny, from the crest on the head like a crown--variously regarded as a kind of dragon or cockatrice: in modern zoology, a harmless crested lizard of tropical South America: an ancient brass cannon throwing a shot of about 200 lb. weight. [Gr. _basiliskos_, dim. of _basileus_, a king.]
BASIN, b[=a]s'n, _n._ a wide open vessel or dish: any hollow place containing water, as a dock: the area drained by a river and its tributaries. [O. Fr. _bacin_--Low L. _bachinus_, perh. from the Celtic.]
[Illustration]
BASINET, bas'i-net, _n._ a light globular headpiece worn alone with a visor, or with the great helm resting on the shoulders, worn over it.--Also BAS'NET.
BASIS, b[=a]s'is, _n._ the foundation, or that on which a thing rests: the pedestal of a column: the groundwork or first principle:--_pl._ BAS'ES.
[See BASE (1).]
BASK, bask, _v.i._ to lie in the warmth or sunshine. [Scand. _badask_, to bathe.]
BASKET, bas'ket, _n._ a vessel made of plaited twigs, rushes, or other flexible materials.--_ns._ BAS'KETFUL, as much as fills a basket; BAS'KET-HILT, the hilt of a sword with a covering wrought like basket-work to defend the hand from injury; BAS'KET-MAK'ER; BAS'KET-WORK, any structure of interlaced twigs or the like. [Prob. the L. _bascauda_; the W. _basged_ is apparently borrowed from the English.]
BASQUE, bask, _adj._ relating to the _Basques_, or their wonderful language, with its extreme variability of dialects--the only example of a consistently incorporating language.--_n._ a native of the Basque provinces: the distinctive language of the Basques: a kind of short-skirted jacket worn by women, a continuation of the bodice a little below the waist.--_adj._ BASQUED (baskt), furnished with a basque.--_n._ BASQ'UINE, an outer petticoat worn by Basque and Spanish women. [Fr. _Basque_--Low L.
_Vasco_, an inhabitant of _Vasconia_, whence _Gascony_. The Basques themselves call their tongue _Eskuara_, _Euscara_, whence the Fr.
_Euscarien_.]
BAS-RELIEF, ba-re-l[=e]f', BASS-RELIEF, bas're-l[=e]f', _n._ (_sculp._) figures which do not stand far out from the ground on which they are formed--also used in the Italian form BASS'O-RILIE'VO. [See BASE, low, and RELIEF.]
BASS, b[=a]s, _n._ the low or grave part in music.--_adj._ low, deep, grave.--_v.t._ to sound in a deep tone.--_ns._ BASS'-HORN, a musical wind-instrument, a modification of the bassoon, much lower and deeper in its tones; THOR'OUGH-BASS, the theory of harmony. [See BASE, low.]
BASS. Same as BAST.
BASS, BASSE, bas, _n._ a marine fish allied to the perch. [A.S. _baers_; cf.
Ger. _bars_, the perch.]
BASSA, bas'sa, _n._ Same as BASHAW.
BASSET, bas'et, _n._ a short-legged dog used in unearthing foxes and badgers: an old Venetian game at cards, resembling faro, widely popular in the 18th century: (_geol._) the outcrop or emergence of mineral strata at the surface.--_v.i._ to incline upward so as to appear at the surface, to crop up.--_n._ BAS'SET-HORN (It. _corno di bassetto_), the richest and softest of all wind-instruments, similar to a clarionet in tone and fingering, but with a twice-bent wooden tube, having a compass of two and a half octaves. [Fr. _bas_, low.]
BASSINET, BASSINETTE, bas'si-net, _n._ a kind of basket with a hood in which an infant is placed as in a cradle: a similarly shaped perambulator.
[Fr. dim. of _basin_, a basin.]
BASSO, bas'so, _n._ the same as BASS (1): also a bass singer.
BASSOON, bas-[=oo]n', _n._ (It. _fagotto_) a musical wind-instrument filling an important place in the modern orchestra, of the reed species, made of maple-wood or plane-tree, its compass from B flat below the bass stave to C in the treble.--The DOUBLE BASSOON (It. _contrafagotto_) sounds an octave lower.--_n._ BASSOON'IST. [It. _bassone_, augmentative of _basso_, low, from root of BASE.]
BASS-VIOL, b[=a]s'-v[=i]'ol, _n._ a musical instrument with four strings, used for playing the bass in concerted music; the violoncello. [See BASS, low, and VIOL.]
BAST, bast, _n._ the inner bark of the lime-tree: matting made of it. [A.S.
_baest_; Dut., Dan., Ger. _bast_.]
BASTARD, bas'tard, _n._ a child born of parents not married.--_adj._ born out of wedlock: not genuine: resembling, but not identical with, the species bearing the name: of abnormal shape or size: false.--_n._ BAS'TARD-BAR, a popular but inaccurate name for the baton-sinister in heraldry.--_v.t._ BAS'TARDISE, to prove to be a bastard.--_adv._ BAS'TARDLY (_obs._).--_ns._ BAS'TARD-WING, three, four, or five feathers springing from the side of the wing of a bird near the point, attached to a bony process which is the homologue of the thumb in some mammalia; BAS'TARDY, BAS'TARDISM, the state of being a bastard.--BASTARD TITLE, an abbreviated title of a book on an otherwise blank page preceding the full title-page; BASTARD TYPES, types cast with an extra deep bevel to obviate the use of leads, as Longprimer face on Pica body. [Fr. _batard_; O. Fr. _fils de bast_, son of the pack-saddle, _bast_ (_bat_) being a coarse saddle for beasts of burden.]
BASTE, b[=a]st, _v.t._ to beat with a stick. [Prob. conn. with Ice.
_beysta_, Dan. _boste_, to beat.]
BASTE, b[=a]st, _v.t._ to drop fat or butter over meat while roasting to keep it from burning and to improve the flavour. [Ety. unknown.]
BASTE, b[=a]st, _v.t._ to sew slightly or with long stitches. [O. Fr.
_bastir_, from Old High Ger. _bestan_, to sew.]
BASTILLE, bast-[=e]l', _n._ an old fortress in Paris long used as a stale prison, and demolished by a revolutionary mob in July 1789: any prison regarded as a symbol of tyranny. [Fr.--O. Fr. _bastir_ (Fr. _batir_), to build.]
BASTINADO, bast-in-[=a]d'o, _v.t._ to beat with a baton or stick, esp. on the soles of the feet (a form of punishment in the East):--_pr.p._ bastin[=a]d'ing or bastin[=a]d'oing; _pa.p._ bastin[=a]d'ed or bastin[=a]d'oed.--_ns._ BASTINADE', BASTIN[=A]D'O. [Sp. _bastonada_, Fr.
_bastonnade_--_baston_, _baton_. See BATON.]
BASTION, bast'yun, _n._ a kind of tower at the angles of a fortification.--_adj._ BAST'IONED. [Fr.--O. Fr. _bastir_, to build.]
BAT, bat, _n._ a heavy stick: a flat club for striking the ball in cricket, a club for base-balls, a batsman: the clown's sword in a pantomime: a piece of brick: (_slang_) rate of speed, style.--_v.i._ to use the bat in cricket:--_pr.p._ bat'ting; _pa.p._ bat'ted.--_ns._ BAT'TER, BATS'MAN, one who wields the bat at cricket, &c.; BAT'TING, the management of a bat in playing games: cotton fibre prepared in sheets. [Perh. from A.S. _bat_ (a doubtful form), prob. Celt. _bat_, staff.]
BAT, bat, _n._ an animal with a body like a mouse, but which flies on wings attached mainly to its fore-feet, but extending along its sides to the hind-feet. [M. E. _bakke_, apparently from Scand.; cf. Dan. _aftenbakke_, evening-bat.]
BATABLE, b[=a]t'a-bl, _adj._ debatable, disputable. [A contr. of DEBATABLE.]
BATATA, ba-ta'ta, _n._ a plant with tuberous roots, the sweet potato. [Sp.
_batata_, potato.]
BATAVIAN, ba-t[=a]'vi-an, _adj._ pertaining to the ancient _Batavi_ in the Low Countries, or to the modern Dutch, their descendants.
BATCH, bach, _n._ the quantity of bread baked or of anything made or got ready at one time: a set. [From BAKE.]
BATE. Same as ABATE.
BATE, b[=a]t, _n._ (_Spens._) strife, contention.--_adj._ BATE'-BREED'ING (_Shak._). [Abbrev. of DEBATE.]
BATE, b[=a]t, _n._ diminution (_dial._, esp. in combination).
BATE, b[=a]t, _v.i._ (_Shak._) to beat the wings impatiently: (_obs._) to be impatient. [O. E. _batre_--Low L. _bat[)e]re_.]
BATEAU, ba-to', _n._ a light river-boat, esp. those used on Canadian rivers. [Fr.--O. Fr. _batel_, boat.]
BATELESS, b[=a]t'les, _adj._ (_Shak._) that cannot be bated or blunted.
BATFOWLING, bat'fowl-ing, _n._ the catching birds at night when at roost.
[BAT, club, and FOWL.]
BATH, bath, _n._ water for plunging the body into: a bathing: a house for bathing: a place for undergoing medical treatment by means of bathing: (_phot._) a solution in which plates are plunged:--_pl._ BATHS (ba_th_z).--_ns._ BATH'-BRICK, a preparation of siliceous silt, manufactured at Bridgwater in the form of bricks, and used in cleaning knives; BATH'CHAIR, a large wheeled chair for invalids; BATH'HOUSE; BATH'MAN; BATH'ROOM; BATH'-STONE, a building stone quarried at Bath; BATH'WOMAN; BLOOD'-BATH, a massacre.--BATH GUIDE, a poem of the 18th century, often taken as a type of 'Society' verse.--ORDER OF THE BATH, an English order of knighthood, so named from the bath before installation (including three classes--military and civil knights grand-cross, G.C.B.; knights commanders, K.C.B.; and companions, C.B.). [A.S. _baeth_, cog. with Ger. _bad_.]
BATH, bath, _n._ the largest Jewish liquid measure, containing about six gallons. [Heb.]