basil

Pronunciation: /ˈbæz.əl/

The English word “basil” has 8 meanings listed here.

noun

A plant (Ocimum basilicum).
The leaves of this plant used as a herb.
Any other species in the genus Ocimum.
The angle to which a joiner's tool is ground away.
The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.
A type of cannon.
A fetter fastened round the ankle of a prisoner.

verb

To grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle.

Etymology

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.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.