Meaning

noun a loose temporary sewing stitch to hold layers of fabric together

verb cover with liquid before cooking

verb strike violently and repeatedly

originPerhaps from the cookery sense of baste or from some Scandinavian etymon. Compare Old Norse beysta (“to beat, thresh”) (whence Danish børste (“to beat up”)). Compare also Swedish basa (“to beat with a rod, to flog”) and Swedish bösta (“to thump”). Might be related to French bâton (“stick”) (formerly baston); English baton comes from bâton; see also French bastonnade (“the act of beating with a…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0