baste
pronunciation
How to pronounce baste in British English:
UK [beɪst]
How to pronounce baste in American English:
US [beɪst]
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- Noun:
- loose temporary stitches
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- Verb:
- cover with liquid before cooking
- strike violently and repeatedly
- sew together loosely, with large stitches
Word Origin
- baste
- baste: There are two separate verbs baste in English, one meaning ‘sew loosely’ [14], the other ‘moisten roasting meat with fat’ [15]. The first comes from Old French bastir, which was acquired from a hypothetical Germanic *bastjan ‘join together with bast’. This was a derivative of *bastaz, from which English gets bast ‘plant fibre’ [OE]. The origin of the second is far more obscure. It may come from an earlier base, with the past form based being interpreted as the present tense or infinitive.
- baste (v.1)
- "sew together loosely," c. 1400, from Old French bastir "build, construct, sew up (a garment), baste, make, prepare, arrange" (12c., Modern French bâtir "to build"), probably from Frankish or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *bastjan "join together with bast" (source also of Old High German besten; see bast).
- baste (v.2)
- "to soak in gravy, moisten," late 14c., of unknown origin, possibly from Old French basser "to moisten, soak," from bassin "basin" (see basin). Related: Basted; basting.
- baste (v.3)
- "beat, thrash," 1530s, perhaps from the cookery sense of baste (v.2) or from some Scandinavian source (such as Swedish basa "to beat, flog," bösta "to thump") akin to Old Norse beysta "to beat," and related to Old English beatan (see beat (v.)).
Example
- 1. Get the baste ready by mixing all the ingredients together .
- 2. Baste with the liquor once while baking .
- 3. If he 's rude to me again , I 'll baste .
- 4. I 'll baste this meat , I think .
- 5. You must baste the duck with its own fat every time you turn the duck .