baste /beɪst/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Origin unknown. ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: bastir ]
1 . to pour liquid or melted fat over food that is cooking:
Baste the potatoes occasionally.
2 . to fasten cloth with long loose stitches, in order to hold it together so that you can ↑ sew it later SYN tack