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  • Basque
    Basque
    noun
    one of a people of unknown origin inhabiting the western Pyrenees regions in France and Spain.
  • basque
    basque
    noun
    a short extension below the waist to the bodice of a woman's jacket, etc

Basque

American  
[bask] / bæsk /

noun

Basques plural
  1. one of a people of unknown origin inhabiting the western Pyrenees regions in France and Spain.

  2. their language, not known to be related to any other language.

  3. (lowercase) a close-fitting bodice, sometimes having an extension that covers the hips.

  4. (lowercase) the extension of this bodice or of a doublet.


adjective

  1. of or relating to the Basques or their language.

Basque 1 British  
/ bæsk, bɑːsk /

noun

  1. a member of a people of unknown origin living around the W Pyrenees in France and Spain

  2. the language of this people, of no known relationship with any other language

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of this people or their language

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
basque 2 British  
/ bɑːsk, bæsk /

noun

  1. a short extension below the waist to the bodice of a woman's jacket, etc

  2. a tight-fitting bodice for women

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Basque1

C19: from French, from Latin Vascō a Basque

Origin of basque2

C19: perhaps from Basque

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

And Deschamps, who grew up in modest circumstances in Basque country, is the one who has made all those disparate parts work together.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Instead, it’s been a 30-year-old Basque without a true position who has played all of nine minutes over La Roja’s past two matches.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 11, 2026

But the ongoing controversy does not seem to be putting off the 31-year-old Basque, who is certainly one to watch when the Masters begins on 9 April.

From BBC Mar. 23, 2026

The Basque Coast hospital praises what it calls a "virtuous" financing model that "diversifies" its funding sources and lets people invest their savings in a product that is "useful, transparent and local".

From Barron's Feb. 13, 2026

The Basque lying against my knees pointed out the view with the neck of the wine-bottle, and winked at us.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Skip the baklava and finish with the basque cheesecake.

From Salon Oct. 31, 2025

Constructed in cream silk shantung, the veste was sculpted to fit snugly above a narrow waist, then flare into a scalloped basque, which was meticulously padded, stiffened and weighted to accentuate the hipline.

From New York Times Nov. 25, 2021

Standing 5ft 9in in her Vivienne Westwood basque tonight, J – born Jessica Cornish – has a voice so expansive it looks likely to annex great swaths of territory this year.

From The Guardian Jan. 23, 2011

A week later, Beyoncé wore a basque, flexed a whip, smoked a fag and subverted the cliched ideal of the compliant 1950s housewife in the video for Why Don't You Love Me?.

From The Guardian Aug. 21, 2010

The basque was buttoned down the front with black buttons which looked so exactly like juicy big blackberries that Laura wanted to taste them.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A lively and fluent writer, Mr. Kurlansky, the author of books on the Basques, cod, salt and other subjects, brings the Boston milieu to life with sympathy, verve and dry humor.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 9, 2025

The Basques set their way towards an 18th straight home victory with three first-half tries -- as Capilla grabbed his first before wing Arnaud Erbinartegaray and scrum-half Baptiste Germain also crossed the whitewash.

From Barron's Oct. 18, 2025

The Basques wanted him to stay another season, but Odegaard was beckoned back by Zidane to Madrid, where he started Real's first two games before struggling with a calf injury.

From BBC Apr. 8, 2025

Yermin Basques, president of Toconao, said he was pushing for the community to receive a greater share of the profits and be a "strategic partner" in the state lithium company.

From Reuters Jul. 20, 2023

We passed lots of Basques with oxen, or cattle, hauling carts along the road, and nice farmhouses, low roofs, and all white-plastered.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

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