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definitions

bask

[bask, bahsk]
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verb (used without object)

to lie in or be exposed to a pleasant warmth: to bask in the sunshine.
to enjoy a pleasant situation: He basked in royal favor.

verb (used with object)

Obsolete. to expose to warmth or heat.

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RELATED WORDS

lounge, relax, laze, loll, sunbathe, savor, revel, relish, indulge, sun, enjoy, wallow, welter, rollick, luxuriate

Nearby words

  1. basis of articulation,
  2. basis point,
  3. basis weight,
  4. basisphenoid,
  5. basivertebral vein,
  6. baskerville,
  7. baskerville, john,
  8. basket,
  9. basket case,
  10. basket catch

Origin of bask

1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse bathask to bathe oneself, equivalent to bath- bath1 + -ask reflexive suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bask

British Dictionary definitions for bask

bask

verb (intr usually foll by in)

to lie in or be exposed to pleasant warmth, esp that of the sun
to flourish or feel secure under some benevolent influence or favourable condition

Word Origin for bask

C14: from Old Norse bathask to bathe
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
Word Origin and History for bask

bask

v.

late 14c., basken "to wallow (in blood)," with loss of middle syllable, from Old Norse baðask "to bathe oneself," reflexive of baða "bathe" (see bathe). Modern meaning "soak up a flood of warmth" is apparently due to Shakespeare's use of the word in reference to sunshine in "As You Like It" (1600). Related: Basked; basking.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper