Bassia 
used in rheumatic and cutaneous diseases, and the timber 
is hard and very durable. -Bassia oil, an aromatic oil or 
butter obtained from the seeds of the Ba*ia lo,,yifoha, 
used for illumination and in the manufacture oi soap. 
bassie (bas'i), , [So., prob. dim. yar. of basin.] 
A basin-shaped wooden vessel for holding meal. 
bassinet (bas'i-net), . [< OF. bacinet, a basinet ; 
also, as in defs. 2 and 3, mod. F. bassinet, Aim. 
of bassin, basin: see basin, basinet.] If. bame 
as basinet. 2. A wicker basket with a covering 
or hood over one end, serving as a cradle tor 
young children. 3. A name given to several 
common European species of Ranunculus. 4f. 
The pan of a harquebuse or musket. See pan. 
bass-mat (bas'mat), n. A mat made of bass 
or bast; specifically, a matting made of bast, 
used for packing furniture, etc., and for sugar- 
bags in sugar-producing countries : in the lat- 
ter sense, usually in the plural. 
basso 1 (bas'o), a. or n. [It., = E. bassS.] 1. 
In music, the Italian word for bass. 2. One who 
sings bass. 
basso 2 !, n. An obsolete form of bashaw. Mar- 
!<> we - , ^, A bast 2 t. ". and a. [Early mod. E., < ME. bast, 
bassockt, H. .[Cf. "ban, ^ssock" Bracketed < OF . 6a ^ L mod ;F. bat (cf. bat*, bat- 
as synonyms m Bailey, ***!%&*_ ltorS e, etc.) = Pr! bast = Sp. It. basto,_ {_ * 
470 
trees, especially of species of linden (Tilia), of 
which the Russia matting of commerce is made. 
Cuba bast, used for tying up cigars, etc., is the inner bark 
of a malvaceous tree, Paritium elatum. 
2. In bot., a tissue, otherwise called the liber 
or phlceum, formed of or containing very 
narrow, long, and tough flexible cells, called 
bast-cells or bast-fibers, and occurring most 
abundantly in the inner bark of dicotyledons. 
The younger and 
softer portion ly- 
ing nearest to 
the cambium has 
been called soft 
bast. Bast-cells 
are the essential 
constituents of all 
textile fibers that 
are derived from 
the bark of plants, 
as flax, hemp, 
jute, ramie, etc. 
3. A rope or 
cord made of 
the inner bark 
of the lime-tree, or the bark made into ropes 
or mats. See bass 2 , 3. 
Portions of Bast-fiber, showing oblique and 
transverse striation of the cell-walls. (From 
Sachs's "Uehrbuch der Botanik.") 
earlier editions, as also in Phillips and Kersey 
1706 and 1708, the second form is printed has- 
sock. Bassock, though a possible dim. of bass-, 
is prob. a mere misprint for hassock.] A has- 
sock. See etymology. 
pack-saddle (see bastard), prob. < 
MHG. bast = E. basft, bass*. Cf. bass?, a cush- 
ion.] I. n. Bastardy Son of bastt, a bastard. 
II. a. Bastard ; illegitimate. 
basta 1 (bas'ta), interj. 
= Sp. basta, orig. 
, _,_..,--,- DaSiia x (Das la;, mien. in., = op. uuaiu, uiig. 
baSSO-COntinuO(bas' 9 -kon-te no-o),n. [It.. a* ^ ^stare, = Pr. Sp. Pg. bastar, suf- 
. V. hf,nii3- rnntinun. < L. KOntmUUS. COU- lpp\. 01 J.I. ui *'">_ t'T? -?_=. jXl-1. 
basso = E. bass* ; continuo, < L. continuus, con- 
tinuous.] Same as figured bass (which see, un- 
der boss 3 ). 
>assO-di-camera (bas'o-de-kam'e-rii), n. [It. : 
basso = E. 6ossS; di, < L. de, of; camera, < L. 
camera, chamber: see camera.] A double-bass 
or contra-basso, reduced in size and power, Dasta/ ( 
but not in compass, and thus adapted to small 
or private rooms. It has four strings, of the same 
, - 
fice, satisfy, < Sp. Pg. basto, copious, thick, 
gross.] Enough! stop ! (a term not uncommon 
in old dramatists). 
Basta ; content thee ; for I have it full. 
Shak.,1. of the S., 1.1. 
quality as those of the violoncello, but all proportionally 
thicker. 
basson (ba-s6n'), n. The French form of bas- 
), n. [Appar. a fern, form of bas- 
to. the ace of clubs : see basto.] In the game 
of solo, the queen of spades, which is always 
the third trump, 
bastantt, a. [< F. bastant, < It. bastante (= 
Pg. bastante), ppr. of bastare, suffice : see 
baste 
II. . 1. Begotten and born out of wedlock ; 
illegitimate: as, a&o-starrfchild. 2f. Mongrel; 
hybrid: as, a bastard brood. 3f. Unauthor- 
ized; unrecognized: as, "bastard officers be- 
fore God," Knox, First Blast (Arber), p. 48. 
(N. E. I>.) 4. Spurious; not genuine; false; 
supposititious; adulterate: as, " bustard hope," 
Shak., M. of V., iii. 5; "bastard honours," 
Temple. 
(They] at the best attain but to some bastard piece of 
fortitude. Sir T. Browne, Religio Medici, i. 25. 
5. Having the appearance of being genuine ; 
resembling in some degree : an epithet applied 
especially in botany, zoology, medicine, etc., 
to things which resemble, but are not identical 
with, the things named : as, bastard mahogany, 
bastard pimpernel, bastard caddis, bastard mar- 
ble, bastard measles, etc. See phrases below. 
Also bastardly. 6. Of abnormal or irregular 
shape or size ; of unusual make or propor- 
tions: applied to guns, ships, swords: as, bas- 
tard culverin, bastard galley, etc. See phrases. 
Bastard Baltlmoret, bastard oriolet, the orchard- 
oriole, Icterus spuriwt. Bastard bar, in her., same as 
baston, 1 (c). Bastard branch, a shoot or sucker spring- 
ing up of its own accord from the root of a tree, or where 
it is not wanted. Bastard breadnut. See breadnut. 
Bastard cod. Runeuartm-cod, 2. Bastard culverint. 
See euherin.- Bastard file, a file of a grade between 
smooth and rough. Bastard limestone, an Impure sili- 
cious limestone, incapable of being converted into quick- 
lime by burning. Bastard manchineeL See man- 
chineel. Bastard musket. See iimxkft. Bastard 
plover a name for the lapwing, Vanellus cristatvs. 
Bastard saltle, a local Scotch name (about Aberdeen) of 
the rough dab, Hippogtossoides KmandoidM, Bastard 
senna. Same as bladder-senna. Bastard sole, (a) A 
local English name of the smear-dab, Cynieoplotta micro- 
cephala. (b) A local English name (in \Veymouth) of 
the variegated sole, Solea variegata. Bastard stucco, 
in plastering. See stucco. Bastard sugar. Same as 
bastard, n., 2 (b). Bastard title, in printing, an ab- 
breviated title of a book on an otherwise blank page 
preceding the full title-page. Bastard turbot, the brill. 
[Local Scotch (about Moray Frith).] Bastard type, 
in printing, type with a face larger or smaller than that 
proper to the size of the body, as bourgeois on a brevier 
body. Bastard wheel, in mach., a flat bevel-wheel, or 
one which is a near approach to a spur-wheel. Bas- 
tard wlnet, wine which is neither sweet nor sour. Bas- 
bassoon x ,, .. 
sone. a bassoon, aug. of basso, low: see base*, 
bass3,bassol.] 1. A musical instrument of the 
oboe class, having a double reed, a 
long, curved metallic mouthpiece, 
and a doubled wooden tube or body. 
Its compass is about three octaves risins,' 
from Bb below the bass stafl. Its diameter 
at the bottom is about 2 inches, and for con- 
venience of carriage it is divided into two or 
more parts, whence its Italian name fagotto, 
a bundle. It serves for the bass among wood 
wind-instruments, as hautboys, flutes, etc. 
2. A reed-pipe stop in an organ, 
having a quality of tone resembling 
that of the bassoon. 
bassoonist (ba-son'ist), . [< bas- 
soon + -ist.] A performer on the 
bassoon. 
basso-ostinato (bas'o-os-ti-na'to), n. 
[It., lit. obstinate bass: basso = E. 
boss 3 ; ostinato = E. obstinate, q. v.] 
Same as around bass (which see, 
under bass*). 
basso-profondo (bas'6-pro-fon'do), 
n. [It. : basso E. bass* ; profondo, 
< L. profundus, deep, profound : see profound.'] 
In music: (a) The lowest bass voice, having a 
compass of about two octaves rising from D 
below the bass-staff, (b) One possessing a 
voice of this compass. 
Bassora gnm. See gum*. 
basso-rilievo (bas'o-re-lya'vo), n. See OOS- 
relief. 
bassorin (bas'o-rin), . [< Bassora, also written 
Sassorah, Bus'sorah, or Basra, a city in Asiatic 
Turkey. ] A gum (CeH 10 O5) insoluble in water, 
the essential constituent of gum tragacanth and 
of cherry and plum gums. Also called tragan- 
thin and adraganthin. 
bass-relief (bas're-lef), n. Same as bas-relief. 
bass-rope (bas'rop), n. [< bass 2 + rope.] A 
rope or cord made from bass or bast, used for 
tying cigars and for other purposes. 
basswood (bas'wud), n. [< bass 2 + wood.] 
The common name of the American linden or 
lime-tree, Tilia Americana. The white bass- 
wood is T. heterophylla. Also called bass. 
bast 1 (bast), n. [Also corruptly bass 2 , q. v. ; 
< ME. bast, < AS. bcest = D. MHG. G. bast(m.) 
= Icel. Sw. 6s<(neut.) = Dan. bast; origin un- 
certain ; perhaps connected with besom, q. v.] 
1. The strong inner fibrous bark of various 
< OF. bastard, bastart (F. bdtard = Pr. bastard 
= Sp. Pg. It. bastardo ; ML. bastardus), a bas- 
tard, prob. < bast (F. bdt = Pr. 6asJ = Sp. It. 
basto: see bast 2 ), a pack-saddle, + -ard; equiv. 
to OF. fils de bas, fils de bast, a bastard, lit. 
son of a pack-saddle : see bast 2 and -ard, and 
cf. bantling. The first known_application _of 
the word was to 
[< bastard, n.] To 
stigmatize as a bas- 
tard; bastardize. [Rare.] 
Have I ever cozened any friends of yours of their land? 
bought their possessions? . . . bastarded their issue? 
B. Joruon, Epiccene, ii. 1. 
To bastard our children. Bp. Burnet, Records, II. it 3. 
] Bastardy 
woru. was to TYiinam cuu vyvimucivi, Y?HV - 
was called William the Bastard before the con- Bastardise, v. f t 
quest, am , 
Wilhelmus cogno 
See bastardize. 
rd/YndeTd clffed himsrif sV ("Ego bastardismt (bas'tar-dizm), n. 
us'cognomine bastardus").]. I. . 1. +S3J*%%^.,., , 
[< bastard + 
child by the marriage of the parents at any future time. 
Hut by the laws of England a child to be legitimate, 
must at least be born after the lawful marriage ; it does 
not require that the child shall be begotten in wed- 
lock, but it is indispensable that it should be born after 
marriage, no matter how short the time, the law presum- 
ing it to be the child of the husband. The only legal in- 
capacity of a bastard is that he cannot be heir or next of 
kin to any one save his own issue. Inheritance from the 
mother is allowed in some jurisdictions. In England the 
maintenance of a bastard in the first instance devolves on 
the mother, while in Scotland it is a joint burden upon 
both parents. The mother is entitled to the custody of 
the child in preference to the father. In the United States 
the father may be compelled to provide support. 
2. In sugar-refining : (a) A large mold into 
which sugar is drained, (b) An impure, coarse 
brown sugar made from the refuse syrup of 
previous boilings. 3f. An animal of inferior 
breed; a mongrel. 4f. A kind of woolen 
The law is so indulgent as not to bastardize the child if 
born, though not begotten, in lawful wedlock. 
Blackstone, Com., I. xvi. 
2f. To beget out of wedlock. Shak. 3. To 
render mongrel or hybrid ; make degenerate ; 
debase: as, "a bastardized race of the Ro- 
mans," /. D'Israeli, Amen, of Lit., I. 260. 
II. intrans. To become degenerate. 
Also spelled bastardise. 
bastardlyt (bas'tard-li), a. [< bastard + -ly 1 .] 
1. Bastard; base-born. 
Thou bastardly rogue ! Shak., 2 Hen. IV., ii. 1. 
2. Spurious; counterfeit. 
A furtive simulation, and a bastardly kind of adoption. 
Jer. Taylor (?), Artif. Handsomeness, p. 96. 
3. Degenerate; debased. 4. Same as bas- 
tard, a., 5. 
cloth, probably of inferior quality, or of unu- bastardy (bas'tar-di), n. [< bastard + -y. Cf. 
sual width, or both. 5t. A kind of war-vessel bastardice.] l."The state of being a bastard, 
or begotten and born out of lawful wedlock. 
Born in bastardy. Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iii. 2. 
used in the middle ages, probably of unusual 
s i ze . 6f. in the seventeenth century, a small 
cannon, otherwise known as a bastard culverin 
(which see, under culverin). 7t. A sweet Span- 
ish wine resembling muscadel ; any kind of 
sweetened wine. 
We shall have all the world drink brown and white 
Imtard. Shak., M. lor M., iii. 2. 
Why, this now, which you account so choice, were 
counted but as a cup of bastard at the Groyne, or at Port 
St. Mary's. Scott, Kenilworth, I. i. 
8. hi falconry, a kind of hawk. 9. [Sp. bas- 
tardo, a bastard, a short, thick-bodied snake, 
etc.] A local name of Kemp's gulf-turtle, 
Thalassochelys (Colpochelys) kempi, of the Gulf 
of Mexico Special bastard, a child born before the 
marriage of its parents. 
They blot my name with hateful bastardy. 
Drayton, Rosamond to K. Henry. 
2. The act of begetting a bastard. 3. A ju- 
dicial proceeding to determine the paternity 
of a bastard child and compel its father to 
support it Declarator of bastardy, in Scots law, an 
action instituted in the Court of Session by the donatory 
in a gift of bastardy, for the purpose of having it declared 
that the land or the effects which belonged to the deceased 
bastard belong to the donatory, in virtue of the gift from 
the crown. Gift of bastardy, in Scots law, a gift from 
the crown of the heritable or movable effects of a bastard 
who has died without lawful issue, and without having 
disposed of his property in liege-poustie. 
baste 1 (bast), v. t. ; pret. and pp. basted, ppr. 
basting. [First known in pret. or pp. baste, 
