basting
UK[ˈbeɪstɪŋ]US[ˈbeɪstɪŋ]
n
The action of pouring juices or melted fat over meat while it is cooking to keep it moist.
n
Long, loose temporary stitches used to hold fabric layers together before permanent sewing.
Morpheme Breakdown
bast
ing
bast
to sew loosely
ing
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'basting' presents a fascinating case of homonymy, where two distinct actions share the same modern English form. The culinary sense, to moisten meat, likely derives from an unattested Old French verb 'basser', meaning to moisten or soak, related to 'bath'. The sewing sense, to stitch loosely, entered English from the Old French 'bastir', meaning to build or sew roughly, itself of Germanic origin. Over time, the core idea of applying something loosely—whether liquid or thread—united these separate etymological paths under the single spelling 'basting'. The suffix '-ing' consistently functions to nominalize the action, resulting in a term for the process itself.
Analysis
Structure: bast (to sew loosely) + ing (noun suffix)
'bast' is from Old French 'bastir' (to build, sew), of Germanic origin, meaning to sew loosely or tack. 'ing' is an English suffix forming verbal nouns indicating an action or its result.
Examples
Regular basting is the secret to a perfectly juicy roast turkey.
She removed the basting from the seam after checking the fit of the dress.
The recipe calls for basting the ham with a maple glaze every twenty minutes.