Meanings
basque1
nounbasque (plural basques)
plural basques
- A woman's close-fitting bodice, underbodice, or corset having such a feature.
Will she be able to pull off the double act? Can she play the cosy tradwife and still be the sexpot in a basque?
2025 August 30, Jo Ellison, “Taylor Swift is entering her conservative era”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20
Basque2
nounBasque (plural Basques)
plural Basques
- A member of a cultural and ethnic people living in the western Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay between France and Spain.
But in more recent times [ETA] has been decimated by arrests and weakening support from Basques with little stomach for terrorism after Sept. 11 and the Madrid train bombings of 2004 by Islamic militants.
2011 October 20, Associated Press, “Basque group ETA declares end to violent campaign”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 16 Jul 20251 more example
Basques wanting to visit the dramatic fjords of north-western Iceland need no longer hesitate after the district of Westfjords repealed a 400-year-old decree to kill any Basque caught in the area on sight. […] The brewing conflict between locals and the whalers prompted then-sheriff Ari Magnússon to draw up a decree that allowed Basques to be killed with impunity in the district.
2015 April 29, Ashifa Kassam, “Basques safe in Iceland as district repeals decree to kill them on sight”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 28 Aug 2020
adjectiveBasque (not comparable)
- not comparableRelating to the Basque people or their language.
The edict was issued in 1615 after a storm destroyed three Basque whaling vessels on an expedition in Iceland.
2015 April 29, Ashifa Kassam, “Basques safe in Iceland as district repeals decree to kill them on sight”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 28 Aug 2020
proper noun
- The language of the Basque people.
If you like a challenge, try Hungarian. It’s like no other European language you’ve heard, except maybe Basque.
2021 April 25, John Malathronas, “Which languages are easiest – and most difficult – for native English speakers to learn?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2022
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe language of the Basque people; of no known relation to any other language
Similar
Basque language
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
basque · noun
- Frenchbasque
- Frenchbasque
- Englishbasque
Borrowed from French basque.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Basque · noun, adjective, proper noun
- LatinVascō
- Occitanbasc
- FrenchBasque
- EnglishBasque
Borrowed from French Basque, from Gascon Occitan basc, from Latin Vascō, Vascōnēs pl, a pre-Roman era tribe settled in the Atlantic Biscaian gulf and Pyrenean mountain region of south-western Europe, who were ancestors of the current Basque population.
More words from French, Occitan, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans Bask, Baskies
- Baskmember of a people
- Baskiesrelating to the Basque people or their language
- Baskieslanguage
Arabic بَاسْكِيّ, بَاسْكِيَّة
- بَاسْكِيّ (bāskiyy)member of a people
- بَاسْكِيَّة (bāskiyya)member of a people
- بَاسْكِيّ (bāskiyy)relating to the Basque people or their language
- اللُّغَة الْبَاسْكِيَّة (al-luḡa l-bāskiyya)language
- الْبَاسْكِيَّة (al-bāskiyya)language
Basque euskaldun, euskal
- euskaldunmember of a people
- euskalrelating to the Basque people or their language
- euskaralanguage
Bulgarian баск, баски
- баск (bask)member of a people
- баски (baski)relating to the Basque people or their language
- ба́ски ези́к (báski ezík)language
- ба́ски (báski)language
Catalan basc, basca
- bascmember of a people
- bascamember of a people
- bascrelating to the Basque people or their language
- basclanguage
- èuscarlanguage
Chinese Mandarin 巴斯克人, 巴斯克的
- 巴斯克人 (Bāsīkè rén)member of a people
- 巴斯克的 (Bāsīkè de)relating to the Basque people or their language
- 巴斯克語 /巴斯克语 (Bāsīkè yǔ)language
Czech Bask, baskický
- Baskmember of a people
- baskickýrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskičtinalanguage
Danish basker, baskisk
- baskermember of a people
- baskiskrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskisklanguage
Dutch Bask, Baskische
- Baskmember of a people
- Baskischemember of a people
- Baskischrelating to the Basque people or their language
- Baskischlanguage
Esperanto eŭsko, eŭskino
- eŭskomember of a people
- eŭskinomember of a people
- vaskomember of a people
- vaskinomember of a people
- eŭskarelating to the Basque people or their language
- vaskarelating to the Basque people or their language
- eŭsklingvarelating to the Basque people or their language
- vasklingvarelating to the Basque people or their language
- eŭska lingvolanguage
- la eŭskalanguage
- vaska lingvolanguage
- la vaskalanguage
Estonian baski keel
- baski keellanguage
Finnish baski, baskilainen
- baskimember of a people
- baskilainenrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskinkielinenrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskilanguage
- baskin kielilanguage
French basque, guêpière
- basquepart of waistcoat
- guêpièrecorset
- Basquemember of a people
- Basquaismember of a people
- Basquaisemember of a people
- basquerelating to the Basque people or their language
- basquaiserelating to the Basque people or their language
- basquelanguage
German Mieder, Korselett
- Miedercorset
- Korselettcorset
- Baskemember of a people
- Baskinmember of a people
- baskischrelating to the Basque people or their language
- Baskischlanguage
Greek Βάσκος, βασκικός
- Βάσκος (Váskos)member of a people
- βασκικός (vaskikós)relating to the Basque people or their language
- βασκικά (vaskiká)language
Hindi बास्क
- बास्क (bāsk)relating to the Basque people or their language
Hungarian baszk, baszk
- baszkmember of a people
- baszkrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baszklanguage
Icelandic Baski, baskneskur
- Baskimember of a people
- baskneskurrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskneskalanguage
- baskamállanguage
Irish Bascach, Bascach
- Bascachmember of a people
- Bascachrelating to the Basque people or their language
- Bascaiserelating to the Basque people or their language
- Bascaislanguage
Italian basco, basca
- bascomember of a people
- bascamember of a people
- bascorelating to the Basque people or their language
- bascolanguage
Japanese バスク人, バスクの
- バスク人 (Basuku-jin)member of a people
- バスクの (basuku no)relating to the Basque people or their language
- バスク人の (basuku-jin no)relating to the Basque people or their language
- バスク語relating to the Basque people or their language
- バスク語 (Basuku-go)language
Korean 바스크어
- 바스크어 (Baseukeu-eo)language
Latin Vasconicus
- Vasconicusrelating to the Basque people or their language
Latvian basks, basku
- basksmember of a people
- baskurelating to the Basque people or their language
- basku valodalanguage
Norwegian Bokmål basker, baskisk
- baskermember of a people
- baskisklanguage
Polish baskina, baskinka
- baskinacorset
- baskinkacorset
- Baskmember of a people
- Baskijkamember of a people
- baskijskirelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskijskilanguage
Portuguese basco, basca
- bascomember of a people
- bascamember of a people
- bascorelating to the Basque people or their language
- bascolanguage
- vasconçolanguage
Romanian basc, limba bască
- bascmember of a people
- limba bascălanguage
- bascălanguage
Russian баск, баско́нка
- баск (bask)member of a people
- баско́нка (baskónka)member of a people
- ба́скский (báskskij)relating to the Basque people or their language
- баско́нский (baskónskij)relating to the Basque people or their language
- ба́скский язы́к (báskskij jazýk)language
- ба́скский (báskskij)language
Slovak Bask, Baskička
- Baskmember of a people
- Baskičkamember of a people
- baskičtinalanguage
Spanish vasco, vasca
- vascomember of a people
- vascamember of a people
- vascongadomember of a people
- vascuencemember of a people
- euscaldúnmember of a people
- vascoparlantemember of a people
- vascohablantemember of a people
- vascorelating to the Basque people or their language
- euskerarelating to the Basque people or their language
- vascongadorelating to the Basque people or their language
- eusquéricorelating to the Basque people or their language
- éuskarorelating to the Basque people or their language
- euskarorelating to the Basque people or their language
- vascuencerelating to the Basque people or their language
- euskaldúnrelating to the Basque people or their language
- euskaldunarelating to the Basque people or their language
- vascohablanterelating to the Basque people or their language
- vascoparlanterelating to the Basque people or their language
- vascolanguage
- vascuencelanguage
- euskeralanguage
- eusqueralanguage
- éuskarolanguage
- euskarolanguage
- euskaralanguage
- éuskaralanguage
Swedish bask, baskiska
- baskmember of a people
- baskiskamember of a people
- baskiskrelating to the Basque people or their language
- compounds with baskrelating to the Basque people or their language
- baskiskalanguage
Turkish Bask, Bask
- Baskmember of a people
- Baskrelating to the Basque people or their language
- Baskçalanguage
Welsh Basg, Basgiad
- Basgmember of a people
- Basgiadmember of a people
- Basgaiddrelating to the Basque people or their language
- Basgeglanguage
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with basque
asktaskmaskflaskunmaskcaskmasquebaskmasccasquepaschlaskpasqueabaskChannel-Port aux BasquesNaskhPort aux Basques
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
APA
basque. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/basque
MLA
“basque.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/basque. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “basque,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/basque.
Source: basque on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.