Basque
pronunciation
How to pronounce Basque in British English:
UK [bɑ:sk]
How to pronounce Basque in American English:
US [bæsk]
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- Noun:
- a member of a people of unknown origin living in the western Pyrenees in France and Spain
- the language of the Basque people; of no known relation to any other language
Word Origin
- Basque
- 1817 (adj.), 1835 (n.), from French, from Spanish vasco (adj.), from vascon (n.), from Latin Vascones (Vasconia was the Roman name for the up-country of the western Pyrenees), said by von Humboldt to originally mean "foresters" but more likely a Latinized version of the people's name for themselves, euskara or eskuara. This contains a basic element -sk- which is believed to relate to maritime people or sailors, and which is also found in the name of the Etruscans .... [Room, "Placenames of the World," 2006] Earlier in English was Basquish (1610s, noun and adjective); Baskles (plural noun, late 14c.); Baskon (mid-15c.).
Example
- 1. The basque country and adjoining navarre collect their own taxes .
- 2. Basque - and gaelic-speakers tweet to connect with other far-flung speakers .
- 3. Indeed , the basque terrorist group eta was born of this repression .
- 4. When we got there , a basque festival was in progress .
- 5. Early basque whalers called them whale killers when they saw them attacking other whales .