Saint basil

saint. also, basilius, (“the great”) a.d. 329?–379, bishop of caesarea in asia minor (brother of saint gregory of nyssa).
a male given name: from a greek word meaning “royal.”.
historical examples

saint basil spoke of extraordinary occasions when no priest could be had.
one snowy night emily sarah holt

you remember our description of the cathedral of saint basil, with its wondrous towers and domes, and its various ins-and-outs?
fred markham in russia w. h. g. kingston

saint basil specially affirms that the magnet is not drawn by iron.
on the magnet, magnetick bodies also, and on the great magnet the earth william gilbert of colchester

noun
also called sweet basil. a eurasian plant, ocimum basilic-m, having spikes of small white flowers and aromatic leaves used as herbs for seasoning: family lamiaceae (l-b–tes)
also called wild basil. a european plant, satureja vulgaris (or clinopodium vulgare), with dense cl-sters of small pink or whitish flowers: family lamiaceae
basil-thyme, a european plant, acinos arvensis, having cl-sters of small violet-and-white flowers: family lamiaceae
noun
saint, called the great, ?329–379 ad, greek patriarch: an opponent of arianism and one of the founders of monasticism. feast day: jan 2, june 14, or jan 1
n.

aromatic shrubby plant, early 15c., from old french basile (15c., modern french basilic), from medieval latin basilic-m, from greek basilikon (phyton) “royal (plant),” from basileus “king” (see basil). so called, probably, because it was believed to have been used in making royal perfumes. in latin, confused with basiliscus (see basilisk) because it was supposed to be an antidote to the basilisk’s venom.

masc. proper name, from latin basilius, from greek basileios “kingly, royal,” from basileus “king,” of unknown origin, possibly from a language of asia minor (cf. lydian battos “king”).