bast

[ bast ]

noun

1. Botany. phloem.
2. Also called bast fiber. any of several strong, woody fibers, as flax, hemp, ramie, or jute, obtained from phloem tissue and used in the manufacture of woven goods and cordage.

bast

/ bæst /

noun

1. Also calledbass fibrous material obtained from the phloem of jute, hemp, flax, lime, etc, used for making rope, matting, etc
2. botany another name for phloem

Word History and Origins

Origin of bast¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English bæst; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse bast; perhaps ultimately cognate with Latin fascis bundle. See bass ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of bast¹

Old English bæst ; related to Old Norse, Middle High German bast

Example Sentences

“I chose the bast passing offense in the country,” Fitzpatrick wrote on Twitter Sunday upon announcing his commitment to Mike Leach and Washington State.

From Seattle Times

This radial growth depends on the division of stem cells located in an inner cylindrical layer of cells called the cambium, which gives rise to wood and the woody fibre used for textiles, called bast.

From Nature

Montée is from Belgrade and has a highly polished complexion and the kind of thick, open-syllabled accent in English that makes “best” sound like “bast.”

From New York Times

“Not yet. But I’m just going to tell him that if those bast—” I stopped.

From Literature

But the leftover bast fibre - the inner bark - typically ends up as landfill.

From BBC