Basil
WordNet
noun
(1) Leaves of the common basil; used fresh or dried
(2) (Roman Catholic Church) the bishop of Caesarea who defended the Roman Catholic Church against the heresies of the 4th century; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-379)
(3) Any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
WiktionaryText
Etymology
Name of several early saints, particularly in the Orthodox Church, from the βασιλεύς (king).
Proper noun
- , in quiet but steady use in the UK.
Quotations
- 1866 Eliza Tabor Stephenson, Hester's Sacrifice, Hust and Blackett, 1866, Volume II, page 28:
- "Nonsense. I'm sure he can't have grey hair with such a pretty name as that. Basil Brooke, Basil Brooke," and May chanted the name over and over in her girlish, musical voice. "It sounds like all sorts of pleasant pictures. - -