*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of basil

Inherited from Middle English basile, from Middle French basile, from Old French basile, from Medieval Latin basilicum, from Ancient Greek βασιλικόν (basilikón, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”). Doublet of basi

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A plant (Ocimum basilicum). · The leaves of this plant used as a herb. · Any other species in the genus Ocimum.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English basile, from Middle French basile, from Old French basile, from Medieval Latin basilicum, from Ancient Greek βασιλικόν (basilikón, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”). Doublet of basilic, basilicon, and basilicum; further related to basileus, basilean, and basileiolatry.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "basile",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English basile"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "basile"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English basile"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "basile"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French basile"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "basile"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French basile"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "basilicum"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin basilicum"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "βασιλικόν",
        "4": "",
        "5": "royal"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek βασιλικόν (basilikón, “royal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "basilic",
        "3": "basilicon",
        "4": "basilicum"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of basilic, basilicon, and basilicum"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "basileus",
        "3": "basilean",
        "4": "basileiolatry",
        "notext": "1",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "basileus, basilean, and basileiolatry"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "basile",
      "basile#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "basile",
      "basile#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "basile",
      "basile#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "basilicum",
      "basilicum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "βασιλικόν",
      "βασιλικόν#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "βασιλεύς",
      "βασιλεύς#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "basilic",
      "basilic#English"
    ],
    [
      "basilicon",
      "basilicon#English"
    ],
    [
      "basilicum",
      "basilicum#English"
    ],
    [
      "basileus",
      "basileus#English"
    ],
    [
      "basilean",
      "basilean#English"
    ],
    [
      "basileiolatry",
      "basileiolatry#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "word": "basil",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A plant (Ocimum basilicum).",
        "The leaves of this plant used as a herb.",
        "Any other species in the genus Ocimum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "d48b5cc390470e7315ba0384e86d0e356306aaef0aebd923226a0b5c5c4e6cad",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3498683cac43b8ec4558864073260bd1f2d9b52a09448c1b7d395fdd8939bc40",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219913
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle.

noun

The angle to which a joiner's tool is ground away.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of bezel.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "bezel",
      "bezel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "341851c3a036d4ff2a0da045661fb89b737eb0485eedcbdc0cd335e0c29f4045",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ea82da428bf2300ef0abc408bf063d1ca06f2983cac48f69a5b301f430d46fe3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219915
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The angle to which a joiner's tool is ground away."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "faa23c7e0111e5362386547908e27e32b5a9be59f3ce0ff43b1a8091108ebec5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e77ce320de8c7d1ca583dc68c388ff7ada273319cbe490f3ee5f0ec05db99c7d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219914
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Corrupted from English basan, from French basane, from Late Latin basanium, from Arabic بِطانَة (biṭāna, “lining”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "basan"
      },
      "expansion": "English basan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "basane"
      },
      "expansion": "French basane"
    },
    {
      "name": "lena",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "basanium"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin basanium"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "بِطانَة",
        "4": "",
        "5": "lining"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic بِطانَة (biṭāna, “lining”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ب ط ن"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "basan",
      "basan#English"
    ],
    [
      "basane",
      "basane#French"
    ],
    [
      "basanium",
      "basanium#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "بِطانَة",
      "بطانة#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The skin of a sheep tanned with bark."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "24850b8ade5daa772a507a85e10df25830b894bfde611cc74ef2b9f6e2233cf1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7d938da7463be9e399a3997172892e0e3d0463e7971ec67cb18d84341d646ffd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219916
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A type of cannon. · A fetter fastened round the ankle of a prisoner.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old French basile (“basilisk”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "basile",
        "4": "",
        "5": "basilisk"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French basile (“basilisk”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "basile",
      "basile#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type of cannon.",
        "A fetter fastened round the ankle of a prisoner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "archaic",
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "65b5f9c647ad48acd18f13a038249d896c92157b775a7ddfaf21565c0e26625a",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219917
    }
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    "descendants": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for basil →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YmFzaWw