basil
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, Canada, General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈbæz.əl/
Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -æzəl
- (Canada, US) IPA(key): /ˈbeɪz.əl/
- Rhymes: -eɪzəl
Etymology 1
From Old French basile, from Medieval Latin basilicum, from Ancient Greek βασιλικόν (basilikón, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”).
Noun
basil (usually uncountable, plural basils)
- A plant (Ocimum basilicum).
- The leaves of this plant used as a herb.
- Any other species in the genus Ocimum.
Synonyms
- (plant): albahaca, St. Joseph's wort, sweet basil
Derived terms
- Asian basil
- basil thyme
- holy basil
- Lao basil
- lemon basil
- sweet basil
- Thai basil
- wild basil
Translations
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Further reading
basil on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Ocimum on Wikispecies.Wikispecies Ocimum on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Etymology 2
Variant of bezel.
Verb
basil (third-person singular simple present basils, present participle basilling, simple past and past participle basilled)
- (transitive) To grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Moxon to this entry?)
Etymology 3
Corrupted from English basan, French basane, Late Latin basanium, from Arabic بِطانَة (biṭāna, “lining”).
Synonyms
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for basil in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)