noun
basil
BAZ-uhl
noun
1
An aromatic herb with green leaves, widely used in cooking, especially in Italian and Thai dishes.
"She added fresh basil to the tomato sauce."
"Basil pairs beautifully with tomato and mozzarella."
How to Use Basil
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA fragrant green cooking herb, often used with tomatoes.
Common pairings
fresh basil
basil leaves
basil pesto
Word Forms
basiled past tense, basilled past tense, basils plural, basils plural, basils plural, basils plural, basils singular
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She added fresh _____ to the tomato sauce.
Etymology
From Old French basile, ultimately from Greek basilikon, "royal," from basileus, "king" — the herb was seen as a "kingly" plant.