bas, -se, adj., not high, low; shallow; vile, mean, despicable; abject, sordid; low, lower; inferior. La marée est —se; it is low water. —se mer; low water. Une rivière —se; a shallow river. Les eaux sont —ses chez lui; he is hard pushed for money. Des sentiments —; mean sentiments. Une —se flatterie; mean flattery. Avoir l’âme —se; to have a sordid soul. Le — peuple; the mob, the common people. Parler d’un ton —; to speak in a low voice. Avoir le cœur haut et la fortune —e; to have more spirit than fortune. Avoir la vue —se; to be short-sighted. Une messe —se; a low mass. — étage; lower story. Une —se-fosse; a dungeon. Ce — monde; this lower world. Les Pays-Bas; the Netherlands. Le Bas-Rhin; the Lower Rhine. La Basse-Saxe; Lower Saxony. Les — officiers; the inferior officers. J’ai acheté cela à — prix; I bought that at a very low price. Les —ses cartes; the small cards. —se naissance; mean birth. Le — bout d’une chose; the lower end of a thing. La —se latinité; low Latin. Faire prendre à quelqu’un un ton plus —; to make any one lower his tone. Faire main —se sur; to pillage, plunder, lay hands upon. À porte —se, passant courbé; one must bow to circumstances; the low door suits the shrunken frame.
bas, adv., down, low. À —! down with. A — le tyran! down with the tyrant! À — les ministres! down with the ministers! Au plus —; at the very lowest. Bien —; very low. En —; below, down stairs. Être à —; to be ruined. Être — percé; to be short of, to be run aground for money. Chapeaux —! hats off! Jeter —; to throw down. Ici-—; here below. Là-—; over there, over the way, yonder. Le malade est encore bien —; the patient is still very weak. Mettre —; (of animals) to bring forth, to whelp, to foal, to cub, to lamb, to pup, to kitten; to lay down; to take off. Parler —; to speak low. Regarder, traiter, quelqu’un du haut en —; to look at, to treat any one contemptuously. Tenir —; to keep in submission, to keep under.
bas, n.m., lower part; bottom; foot (of a thing); small (of the leg). Le — du visage; the lower part of the face. Le — de l’escalier; the foot of the stairs. Il y a du haut et du — dans la vie; there are ups and downs in life. Être au —; to be low (of liquids in casks). Sa voix est belle dans le —; (mus.) his voice is excellent in the lower notes.
bas, n.m., stocking. — bleu; blue-stocking (literary woman). — à côtes, à jour; ribbed, open-worked, stocking. — de laine, de soie; woolen, silk, stocking. Cela vous va comme un — de soie; it fits you like a glove.
basalte, n.m., basalt.
basaltique, adj., basaltic.
basane, n.f., sheep-leather.
basané, -e, adj., tawny, sun-burnt, swarthy.
bas-bord, n.m., (n.p.). (nav.) V. bâbord.
bascule, n.f., see-saw; weighing-machine; plyer (of a draw-bridge); reciprocating motion; rocker (of cradles); lever. Chaise à —; rocking-chair. Faire la —; to see-saw. Fusil à —; breech-loading gun. Pont à —; weigh-bridge.