bast
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bast¹
- /bɑːst/ UK
- /bæst/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːst, -æst
Where it comes from
From Middle English bast, from Old English bæst (“bast, inner bark of trees from which ropes were made”), from Proto-West Germanic *bast (compare the Swedish bast, Dutch bast, German Bast), perhaps an alteration of Proto-Indo-European *bʰask-, *bʰasḱ- (“bundle”) (compare English basket, Middle Irish basc (“necklace”), Latin fascis (“bundle”), Albanian bashkë (“tied, linked”)), though this is likely a substrate word and/or Wanderwort.
noun basts · bass
- Inner bark of a tree from which rope is traditionally made.
- Fibre made from the phloem of certain plants (particularly the lime tree) and used for making ropes, cords and matting. [T]here would be seen his face, or that of his elder brother, peering down. A guttural sound, and the tip-tap of bast slippers beating the narrow wooden stairs, and he would stand before one without coat, a little bent, in leather apron, with sleeves turned back, blinking[…]
bast²
- /bɑːst/ UK
- /bæst/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːst, -æst
Where it comes from
From Middle English bast, from a back-formation of Middle English bastard.
noun
- Bastardy, illegitimacy of birth.
adjective
- Illegitimate, born out of wedlock.
Bast³
proper noun
- Alternative spelling of Bastet
Translations
Talk about this word "bast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bast. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. bast. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bast "bast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bast.Cite this
@misc{bast_2026,
title = {bast},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bast},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
