basque

See also: Basque

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French basque.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bæsk/, /bɑːsk/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Homophones: bask, Basque
Rhymes: -æsk, -ɑːsk

Noun

basque (plural basques)

The part of a waistcoat etc. extending below the waist.
A woman's close-fitting bodice, underbodice, or corset having such a feature.
- 2025 August 30, Jo Ellison, “Taylor Swift is entering her conservative era”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 20:
  Will she be able to pull off the double act? Can she play the cosy tradwife and still be the sexpot in a basque?

Derived terms

basqued

Translations

part of waistcoat

French: basque (fr) f

corset

French: guêpière (fr) f
German: Mieder (de) n, Korselett n
Polish: baskina f, baskinka (pl) f

French

French Wikipedia has an article on:

basque

Wikipedia ^fr

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bask/
Audio: (file)
Audio (France (Lyon)): (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French baste, probably borrowed from Provençal or Occitan basto, from Frankish *bastijan (“to weave, plait, sew”).^[1] But others suggest it was named after the fashion of the Basques,^[2]^[3] the same as basquine^[4]^[5]^[6] and Spanish basquiña.^[7]

Noun

basque f (plural basques)

skirt, skirts (of a jacket, morning coat etc.); basque (of waistcoat)
(figurative) This term needs a translation to English (as in: * coller aux basques

lâcher les basques). Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

- 2015 January, Virginie Despentes, Vernon Subutex, volume 1, Éditions Grasset, →ISBN, page 15:
  Il n'était pas fidèle, et elles se suspendaient d’autant plus facilement à ses basques que lui ne pensait qu’à se défiler.
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

This form is inherited from Middle French and took precedence in the mid 15th century.^[8] Derived from Latin Vascō, singular form of the plural noun Vascones (see there for more).

The transition of the initial -v- to -b- indicates a likely loan from Spanish or Occitan. Old French forms included bascle, and Old Provençal (Occitan), bascon, basclon.^[9] Medieval Latin had the plurals bascli, basculi,^[10] and basclos, basculos, but also basclones, basculones, while Renaissance Latin used Basculus among other names.^[11] The latinate forms with a v have remained in use too. Doublet of gascon and Vascon, from the accusative form Vasconem. A connection to the family of Basque euskal, euskara is uncertain.

Noun

basque m (uncountable)

Basque (language)

Adjective

basque (plural basques)

Basque

Derived terms

Descendants

→ English: Basque
- → Welsh: Basg
⇒ Irish: Bascach, Bascais

References

^ “basque”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012
^ Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “basque”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 1: A–B, page 272
^ Littré, Émile (1873–1878), “basque”, in Dictionnaire de la langue française, Paris: L. Hachette
^ “basquine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012
^ Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “basquine”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.
^ Cotgrave, Randle (1611), “Basquine; Vasquine; Vasquiner”, in A dictionarie of the French and English tongues‎^[1], A.Islip
^ “basquiña”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
^ but it is attested already in the 13th century: EODA: Euskal Herria.
^ “basque”, in Dictionnaire de l’occitan médiéval en ligne (in German and French), Munich: LMU, 2013–2026
^ "Bascli", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
^ “Basque”, in Dictionnaire universel francois et latin, contenant la signification et la definition tant des mots de l'une & de l'autre langue, volume 1, 1752, page 1405

Middle French

Alternative forms

bascle,^[1] basclois^[2] [12th-14th century]. Compare Anglo-Norman bascle, baskle^[3] [13th–14th centuries]
Bascon, Bascot.^[2] Compare Middle English Baskone, basclon.^[4] [15th century]
Basquain, Bisquain, Bizquain.^[5] Compare French biscaïen, biscayne, and Middle English Bisker.^[4]

Etymology

See above.

Noun

basque m (plural basques)

Basque (language)
Basque (person)
(historical) biscaïen or biscayne, a person or a thing related to the region of Biscay or the city Bayonne

Synonyms

Cantaber

References

^ basque¹ on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Godefroy, Frédéric (1901), Lexique de l'ancien français, page 48
^ “basque”, in Anglo-Norman Dictionary, Aberystwyth University, 2022–2026
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 “basque”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000: “Portyngalers, Galycyans, Biskers, Baskones, Chavers, and Bretoners”
^ "basque", in Jean Nicot, Thresor de la langue françoyse, tant ancienne que moderne (1606).

[1] “basque”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

[2] Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “basque”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 1: A–B, page 272

[3] Littré, Émile (1873–1878), “basque”, in Dictionnaire de la langue française, Paris: L. Hachette

[4] “basquine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

[5] Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “basquine”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.

[6] Cotgrave, Randle (1611), “Basquine; Vasquine; Vasquiner”, in A dictionarie of the French and English tongues‎^[1], A.Islip

[7] “basquiña”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

[8] ut it is attested already in the 13th century: EODA: Euskal Herria.

[9] “basque”, in Dictionnaire de l’occitan médiéval en ligne (in German and French), Munich: LMU, 2013–2026

[10] "Bascli", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

[dict1752-11] “Basque”, in Dictionnaire universel francois et latin, contenant la signification et la definition tant des mots de l'une & de l'autre langue, volume 1, 1752, page 1405

[12] sque¹ on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

[GodefroyLexique-13] 2.0 ^2.1 Godefroy, Frédéric (1901), Lexique de l'ancien français, page 48

[14] “basque”, in Anglo-Norman Dictionary, Aberystwyth University, 2022–2026

[OEDopen-15] 4.0 ^4.1 “basque”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000: “Portyngalers, Galycyans, Biskers, Baskones, Chavers, and Bretoners”

[16] "basque", in Jean Nicot, Thresor de la langue françoyse, tant ancienne que moderne (1606).

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