bas-relief 
bas-relief (ba-re-lef, bas-r^-lef), n. [For- 
merly base ri'liii'; < F. bag-relief, < It. IMIXSH- 
riliei'O (also used in K.), < /;.<.,, low, + rilii r, 
relief: sec //.' and >vVi>;/'.] how ri'lirf; in 
senlp., a foion of relief in which the figures or 
I 
409 
singer having such a voice. 4. A musical in- 
strument of any class having a deep, grim- 
lour, excelled in gravity only by the contra- 
bass. 6. Same us IMI.I.I Hrf (which see, under 
clef) Albertl bass, a hass consisting of arpoKui"" "r 
lirnkrn chords: so calMd from iu reputed inventor, !)<>- 
im-niro Albcrti n[ Vrnirc, who di-<l in 1731*. 
Albcrti Uass. 
Double bass. See tintbir-bn**. Drone bass, 
baHS. -Figured bass, a .;...-* part liavin- the aeeompiiny- 
in^' elmnls Kii^Kested by figures written above or l.< lu\v 
theii'ites: ttieTiiu^t sueci-.^flll SyS- 
tcni of shurtlmml senriiiK at pres- 
ent in usu ani'MiLC organisU and 
pianists. Also called on 
Bassia 
'x*-rtoM///uMj). - Funda- 
mental bass. Si-e ftindatntntal. 
Ground basa, a fundamental 
bass consisting of 4 or 8 bars 
whieh an- I'lintiniially repeated 
during the whole movement. Also 
called btixno-ostinato. Murky 
basa. Si-f mm-^n. Supposed 
Supposed Bass. 
Bas-relief. Tomtwitone of Hc^eso, daiiyhtcr of I'roxeiios. from the 
Sacred Way, Athens ; 4th century R. C. 
other objects represented project very slightly 
from the ground. The most artistic examples of bas- 
relief often present to the observer the illusion that their 
carving has considerable projection. A bas-relief, or a 
work in bas-relief, is a piece of sculpture in this form, 
fompare alto-rifievo and mezzo-rilievo. Also bans-relief, 
ftan*t>-rilit'vo, ami baimo-relievo, 
bass 1 (bas), n. [Early mod. E. bos, base, < ME. 
base, bace, a corruption of barse: see barse.] 
Originally, the perch, but now restricted to 
fishes more or less like the true perch, (a) In 
Striped-bass, or Kockftsh (Roccuf lineatus}. 
(From Report of U. S. Fish Commission, 1884.) 
England, the Labrax lupus, an acanthopterygian fish with 
a compressed fusiform contour, two dorsal mis, the first 
with 9 spinea, the second with from 12 to 14 rays, a general 
grayish or greenish color, relieved by small black spots, and 
a whitish belly. It is an esteemed food-fish. (b) In other 
English-speaking countries, the name of various fishes, 
generally distinguished by a qualifying prefix, as black- 
bass, brass-bang, calico-bass, channel-bass, grass-bass, Os- 
weffo bass, red-bass, rock-bass, sea-bass, striped-bass, and 
white-bass. See the compounded words. Of these the 
nearest American relation of the European bass Is the 
striped-bass or rockflsh, Kaccus lineattw. Also spelled 
hyM 
bass 2 (bas), n. [A corruption of bast 1 , q. v.] 
1. Same as bast 1 . 2. The American linden 
or lime-tree, Tilia Americana. See basswood. 
3. A mat made of bass or bast; a bass-mat; 
hence, any thick mat or matting; formerly, a 
straw hassock or cushion. 
Targets consist of straw basses with painted canvas 
faces sewed on them. Encyc. Brit., II. 376. 
bass 3 (bas), o. and n. [Also and more prop. 
base (the spelling bass being mod. , after It. basso, 
and the pron. being that of base), < ME. base, 
bace, bas, < OF. bas, fern, basse, low: see base 1 .] 
1. a. In music, low: deep; grave.Bass clari- 
net, Clef, cornet. See the nouns.- Bass counter, the 
lower or under bass ; that part of a composition having 
two bases which is taken by voices or instruments of the 
lowest range, as the second-bass voices (bassi profundi) 
and the violoncellos. Bass or Turkish drum. See 
(truil. Bass horn. Staff. See the nouns. Bass 
String, tile name popularly given to the lowest string in 
stringed instruments. Bass vloL Sen wof. Bass voice, 
a voice adapted for singing bass; the lowest male voice, 
the extreme compass of which is from D below the bass 
start to I) or E above it, the ordinary compass being from 
K below the bass staff to middle C, the note on the first 
ledger-line above it. 
II. n. 1. In music, the lowest part in the har- 
mony of a musical composition, whether vocal or 
instrumental. According to some it is the fundamen- 
tal or most important part, while others regard the mel- 
ody or highest part in that light. Next to the melody, the 
bass part is the most striking, the freest and boldest in its 
movements, and the richest in effect. 
2. A male voice of the lowest or gravest kind, 
having a compass of about two octaves from 
the second F below middle C, or lower. 3. A 
bass, in inttxic, tile lowest note in an inverted chord, as E 
in the first inversion of the major common chord <>f (', in 
contradistinction to (', which is considered the real basn, 
i t, or HciK-nitor of the chord. (See also thorouyh-bass.) 
bass 3 (bas), v. [< bass*, n.] I. tram. 1. To 
sing or play the bass part of ; accompany with 
the bass. [Rare.] 2. To sound in a deep 
tone. [Rare.] 
The thunder, 
That deep and dreadful organ-pipe, pronounc'd 
The name of i'rospcr ; it did bass my trespass. 
Shak., Tempest, iii. 3. 
II. intrans. To take the bass part in a concert- 
ed piece of music : as, he basses very steadily. 
bass 4 (bas), n. [Origin uncertain; perhaps for 
base (formerly also ban), coal.] In coal-mining, 
black carbonaceous shale. 
bass r 't (bas), v. t. [< late ME. basse; cf. OF. 
baisier. mod. F. baiser, < L. basiare, kiss, < basi- 
ii in. a kiss. Cf. In' 1 and />'.] To kiss. 
bass 5 t (bas), n. [< ME. basse, a kiss; prob. from 
the verb; cf. L. basium, a kiss.] A kiss; a 
buss. Court of Love. 
Bassalia (ba-sa'li-a), n. CNL., < LL. bassus, 
low, deep (see base 1 ), + Gr. dtia, an assemblage, 
with an intended allusion to a/? , sea.] In zoii- 
geog., the deep-sea realm; a zoological divi- 
sion, in a vertical direction, of the waters of the 
globe. The depth is not fixed, but depends upon temper- 
ature and consequently upon latitude, Bassalia being deep- 
est in tropical regions, and more shallow or even super- 
ficial toward or at either pole. 
Bassalian (ba-sa'li-an), a. Pertaining to the 
deep-sea realm called Bassalia. 
The ichthyological peculiarities of the Bassalian realm, 
as he has proposed to call the deep-sea region. 
Science, III. 605. 
Bassano ware. See majolica. 
Bassaricyon (bas-a-ris'i-on), n. [NL., < Gr. 
ftaaeapif, a fox (see Bassaris), + KVOV, a dog.] 
A genus of procyoniform quadrupeds^ related 
to Bassaris, resembling the kinkajou in exter- 
nal form, but having the skull and teeth more 
like those of the racoons and coatis. S. gabbi 
of Costa Rica is the type. Another species 
from Ecuador is B. alleni. 
Bassaricyonidae (bas-a-ris-i-on'i-de), n. pi. 
[NL., < Bassaricyon + -idee.'] Another name of 
the family Bassarididai. Cones. 
Bassarididae(bas-a-rid'i-de), n.pl. [NL.,< Bas- 
sari(d-)s + -idee.] A family of American car- 
nivorous quadrupeds, of the arctoid series of 
the order Fer<e, suborder Fissipedia, and section 
Arctoidea procyoniformia, most nearly related 
to the racoons (Procyonidce), having some su- 
perficial resemblance to the civets and genets, 
and therefore long supposed to represent in the 
new world the numerous viverrine quadrupeds 
of the old. It is constituted by the genera Bas- 
saris (or Bassariscus) and Bassaricyon. 
Bassaris (bas'a-ris), n. [NL., < Gr. [laooapie, 
a Thracian bacchanal, lit. a fox, equiv. to pao- 
adpa, a fox, a Thracian bacchanal.] 1. The 
typical genus of the family Bassarididte (which 
see). B. astuta is the type-species, inhabiting the south- 
western United States and Mexico, where it is called 
mountain-cat and cacomixl. It is a pretty and intelli- 
gent creature, about as large as a cat, resembling the ra- 
coon in some respects, but slenderer, and with a long 
furry tail marked with black and white rings, as in the 
common lemur. It is frequently tamed, and makes an 
interesting pet. Also called Bassariscus. 
2. [I. c.] An animal of this genus: as, the 
ring-tailed bassaris. Also called bassarisk. 3. 
A genus of lepidopterous insects. [The use of 
the word in entomology antedates that in mam- 
malogy.] 
Ring-tailed Bassaris (Battarit aitttta]. 
Bassariscus (bas-a-ris'kus), n. [NL. (Coues, 
1887), < Gr. ftaaaaiilf, a fox (see Bassaris), with 
dim. suffix.] Same as Basxaris, 1. 
bassarisk (bas'a-risk), n. [< NL. Bassariscus.'] 
Same as bassaris, 2. Coues. 
bass-bar (bas'bar), . In instruments of the 
violin class, an oblong wooden bar, running 
lengthwise within the instrument, designed to 
strengthen it and enable it to resist the pres- 
sure of the bridge and the tension of the strings. 
basse, n. See bass*. 
basseUt, An obsolete form of basifl. 
bassel-t, . Same as basan. 
basse-lisse (bas-leV), a. [F., low warp, < basse, 
fern, of bas, low (see base*), + lisse, also lice, 
warp, < L. licium, the thrum or leash, a thread 
of tne web.] Wrought with the warp in the 
usual horizontal position ; as distinguished from 
that which is wrought with the warp placed in 
a perpendicular, and described as haute-lisse : 
applied to tapestry. 
bassenett, . An obsolete form of basinet. 
basset 1 (bas'et or ba-set'), n. [< F. bassette, < 
It. bassetta, basset, orig. fern, of bassetto, some- 
what low, dim. of basso, low: see base 1 .'] A 
game of cards resembling faro, invented in 
Venice, and popular throughout Europe during 
the eighteenth century and the latter part of 
the seventeenth. 
We went to the Chetto de San Felice, to see the noble- 
men and their ladies at basset, a game at cards which is 
much used, but they play not in public, and all that have 
inclination to it are in masquerade, without speaking one 
word. Evelyn, Diary, June, 1645. 
Some dress, some dance, some play, not to forget 
Your piquet parties, and your dear basset. 
Rows, Royal Convert, ProL, L 8. 
basset 2 (bas'et), n. and o. [Origin obscure; 
perhaps < OF. basset (= It. bassetto), somewhat 
low, dim. of bas, low: see basset 1 .] I. n. In 
geol. and mining, an outcrop. 
II. a. In geol. and mining, outcropping Bas- 
set edges, the outcrop, or outcropping edges, of a series 
of stratified beds. 
The inside [ridge in St. Helena] is much steeper, and is 
almost precipitous ; it is formed of the basset edges of the 
strata, which gently decline outwards. 
Darwin, Geol. Observations, i. 4. 
basset 2 (bas'et), v. i. [< basset^, n.] In geol. 
and mining, to appear at the surface; crop 
out : said of the edges of strata. 
basset-horn (bas'et-hdrn). n. [< basset, for It. 
bassetto, somewhat low (see basset 1 ), + horn ; 
tr. It. corno di bassetto.] A musical instru- 
ment of the clarinet class, having a single reed 
and a long twice-bent wooden tube ; really the 
tenor clarinet, being intermediate between the 
clarinet proper and the bass clarinet. Its com- 
pass is four octaves and two tones from the 
second F below middle C. 
basseting (bas'et-ing), p. a. and n. [< basset 2 
+ -ing.] I. p. a. In geol. and mining, outcrop- 
ping. 
II. n. The cropping out or appearance of 
rock on the surface of a stratum, or series of 
strata. 
bassetto, bassette (ba-set 'o, ba-set'), n. [< It. 
bassetto, somewhat low : see basset 1 .] A small 
bass viol with three strings : now obsolete. 
Bassia (bas'i-a), n. [NL., named in honor of Fer- 
dinando Bassi (died 1774), an Italian physician 
and writer on botany.] A genus of tropical 
trees found in the East Indies and Africa, natu- 
ral order Sanotacece. Several species are valuable for 
the oil yielded by the seeds and for their fleshy flowers, 
which are largely used as food in central India, and yield 
a coarse spirit by distillation. The mahwa-tree, B. lati- 
S'llitt, is cultivated throughout India for these purposes. 
The mee or illupi, K. lonirifolia, is a large evergreen tree 
of India. B. butyracea yields a solid white oil known as 
fulwa-butter. The bark, leaves, and oil of these trees are 
