basil

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An Old World aromatic annual herb (Ocimum basilicum) in the mint family, cultivated for its leaves. Also called sweet basil.
2. n. The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning.
3. n. Any of various plants in the genus Ocimum, native to warm regions, having aromatic foliage and terminal clusters of small, usually white flowers.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A name of several labiate plants, especially of the genus Ocymum. O. basilicum, a native of India, is much used in cookery, especially in France, and is known as sweet or common basil. Bush or lesser basil is O. minimum. The holy basil of India, O. sanctum, is considered sacred to Vishnu, and rosaries are made of its wood. For the wild, stone, or field basil of Europe, see basil-weed. In the United States the name is given to other aromatic labiates, especially to species of Pycnanthemum.
2. n. A large cannon throwing a heavy shot. See basilisk, 4.
3. n. An iron or fetter fastened round the ankle of a prisoner.
4. n. A corruption of bezel.
5. n. A corruption of basan.

Wiktionary

1. n. The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.
2. n. The angle to which a joiner's tool is ground away.
3. v. transitive To grind the edge of a tool to an acute angle.
4. n. A plant (Ocimum basilicum).
5. n. The leaves of this plant used as a herb.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The slope or angle to which the cutting edge of a tool, as a plane, is ground.
2. v. To grind or form the edge of to an angle.
3. n. (Bot.) The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family, but chiefly to the common or sweet basil (Ocymum basilicum), and the bush basil, or lesser basil (Ocymum minimum), the leaves of which are used in cookery. The name is also given to several kinds of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum).
4. n. The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. (Roman Catholic Church) the bishop of Caesarea who defended the Roman Catholic Church against the heresies of the 4th century; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-379)
2. n. any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
3. n. leaves of the common basil; used fresh or dried