bast

[ bast ]

noun

Botany. phloem.
Also called bast fiber. any of several strong, woody fibers, as flax, hemp, ramie, or jute, obtained from phloem tissue and used in the manufacture of woven goods and cordage.

Origin of bast

before 900; Middle English; Old English bæst; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse bast; perhaps ultimately cognate with Latin fascis bundle. See bass³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bast in a sentence

He was rich and supposed to be moral; the Basts knew that he was not, and might find it profitable to hint as much.
Howards End | E. M. Forster
The Basts had just been evicted for not paying their rent, and had wandered no one knew whither.
Howards End | E. M. Forster
Something might be arranged for the Basts later on, but they must be silenced for the moment.
Howards End | E. M. Forster
He asked her once why she had taken the Basts right into the heart of Evie's wedding.
Howards End | E. M. Forster
Her conscience pricked her a little about the Basts; she was not sorry to have lost sight of them.
Howards End | E. M. Forster

British Dictionary definitions for bast

bast

/ (bæst) /

noun

Also called: bass fibrous material obtained from the phloem of jute, hemp, flax, lime, etc, used for making rope, matting, etc
botany another name for phloem

Origin of bast

Old English bæst; related to Old Norse, Middle High German bast

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

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