baste

present singular third person bastes · participle present basting · participle past basted · past basted

1. transitiveTo sew with long or loose stitches, as for temporary use, or in preparation for gathering the fabric.

   He bastes the coat together with thick white thread almost like string, using stitches big enough to be ripped out easily later.

   1991 June 14, J.F. Pirro, “Custom Work”, in Chicago Reader

present singular third person bastes · participle present basting · participle past basted · past basted

1. transitiveTo sprinkle flour and salt and drip butter or fat on, as on meat in roasting.
2. broadlytransitiveTo coat over something.

   Ice Cold Daydream" bastes the bayou funk of the Meters in swirling psychedelia, while "Sweet Thang," a swampy blues cowritten with his dad, sounds like something from Dr. John's "Night Tripper" phase.

   2001 April 20, Peter Margasak, “Almost Famous”, in Chicago Reader

3. transitiveTo mark (sheep, etc.) with tar.

plural bastes

1. A basting; a sprinkling of drippings etc. in cooking.

   "Just like a leg of mutton being roasted before a slow fire without any one to give it a baste," groaned the old man.

   1876, The Odd Fellow's Companion

present singular third person bastes · participle present basting · participle past basted · past basted

1. archaicslangTo beat with a stick; to cudgel.

   July 1660, Samuel Pepys, Diaries One man was basted by the keeper for carrying some people over on his back through the waters.