wealhbasu
, wealh + baso.
Searchable Lemmata: wealhbasu (OE).
Alternate Forms: wealcbasewere, wealhbaso.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Dye;
vermilion, scarlet or similar vivid red hue; cf. basu. The word etymologically means 'foreign-red', and thus may have originally referred to a particular type of foreign dyestuff; cf. vermeil.(ante 1100)
Sex: N/A Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
Etymological Evidence:
Definite, compound of wealh 'foreign' + basu (q.v.) 'vivid red colour'. The word may have originally referred to a particular foreign-sourced dye; in the later usage the term might also simply have been used to distinguish one particular shade of basu from others (cf. other compound terms such as basuhæwen, scirbasu, readbasu, wyrmbasu, weolocbasu, etc.).
WF: Compound
Etym Cog:
References:
