Basho \,bash-'6\ or Matsuo \ma-'tsii-o\ Basho orig. Matsuo Munefusa (b. 1644, Ueno, Iga province, Japan—d. Nov. 28, 1694, Osaka) Japanese haiku poet, the greatest practitioner of the form. Follow¬ ing the Zen philosophy he studied, he attempted to compress the mean¬ ing of the world into the simple pattern of his poetry, disclosing hidden hopes in small things and showing the interdependence of all objects. His
Basenji
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174 I BASIC ► Basilicata
The Narrow Road to the Deep North (1694), a poetic prose travelogue, is one of the loveliest works of Japanese literature.
BASIC in full Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code Computer programming language developed by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz (b. 1928) at Dartmouth College in the mid 1960s. One of the simplest high-level languages, with commands similar to English, it can be learned with relative ease even by schoolchildren and novice programmers. Since c. 1980, BASIC has been popular for use on personal COMPUTERS.
basic Bessemer process Modification of the Bessemer process for converting pig iron into steel. The original Bessemer converter was not effective in removing the phosphorus from iron made from the high- phosphorus ores common in Britain and Europe. The invention of the basic process in England by Sidney G. Thomas (1850-1885) and Percy Gilchrist overcame this problem; the Thomas-Gilchrist converter was lined with a basic material such as burned limestone rather than an acid siliceous material. The introduction of the basic Bessemer process in 1879 made it possible for the first time for such high-phosphorus ore to be used for making steel.
Basic Input/Output System See BIOS
basic oxygen process Steelmaking method in which pure oxygen is blown through a long, movable lance into a bath of molten blast-furnace iron and scrap, in a steel furnace with a refractory lining called a con¬ verter. The oxygen initiates a series of heat-releasing reactions, including the oxidation of such impurities as silicon, carbon, phosphorus, and man¬ ganese; carbon dioxide is released, and the oxidation products of the other impurities form molten slag that floats on the molten steel. The advan¬ tages of using pure oxygen instead of air in refining iron into steel were recognized as early as the 1850s (see Bessemer process), but the process could not be commercialized until the late 1940s, when cheap, high-purity oxygen became available. Within 40 years it had replaced the open-hearth process and was producing more than half of all steel worldwide. Com¬ mercial advantages include high production rates, less labour, and steel with a low nitrogen content.
basic rocks See acid and basic rocks
basidiomycete Nbo-.si-de-o-'mI-.setX Any of a large and diverse class of fungi (division Mycota), including jelly and shelf, or bracket, fungi; mushrooms, puffballs, and stinkhorns; and the rusts and smuts. The club- shaped, SPORE-bearing organ (basidium) is borne on a usually large and conspicuous fruiting body. Basidiomycetes include bird’s-nest fungi, whose hollow fruiting bodies resemble nests containing eggs. The 15 spe¬ cies of the order Exobasidiales are parasitic on higher plants, particularly azaleas and rhododendrons. Jelly fungi are so called because they have jellylike, often colourful fruiting bodies. See also fungus.
Basie \'ba-se\, Count orig. William Allen Basie (b. Aug. 21, 1904, Red Bank, N.J., U.S.—d. April 26,
1984, Hollywood, Fla.) U.S. jazz pianist and bandleader. Basie was influenced by the Harlem pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. In Kansas City in 1936 he formed his own band, which became known as the most refined exponent of swing.
Its rhythm section was noted for its lightness, precision, and relaxation; on this foundation, the brass and reed sections developed a vocabulary of riffs and motifs. Their hit recordings included “One O’Clock Jump” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.” Basie’s piano style became increasingly spare and economical. His soloists included singer Jimmy Rushing, trum¬ peters Buck Clayton and Harry (“Sweets”) Edison, and saxophonist Lester Young. Basie’s reorganized band of the 1950s placed greater emphasis on ensemble work and developed a more powerful style Count Basie, 1969. built from the riffs and buoyant ^jov/globe photos
rhythm of the earlier group. The band achieved renewed popularity for recordings featuring vocalist Joe Williams.
basil Herb consisting of the dried leaves of Ocimum basilicum, an annual herb of the mint family, native to India and Iran. The dried large-leaf vari¬ eties have a fragrant aroma faintly reminiscent of anise, with a warm, sweet, aromatic, mildly pungent flavour. The dried leaves of common basil are less fragrant and more pungent. Basil is widely grown as a kitchen herb. Tea made from basil leaves is a stimulant. The heart-shaped basil leaf is a symbol of love in Italy.
Basil Vba-z3l\ I known as Basil the Macedonian (b. 826/835, Thrace—d. Aug. 29, 886) Byzantine emperor (867-86) and founder of the Macedonian dynasty. Born into a peasant family in Macedonia, he won employment in official circles in Constantinople and was made cham¬ berlain by the reigning emperor, Michael III. He became coemperor with Michael in 866 and murdered him the next year. Basil won victories against Muslim forces along the eastern borders of Asia Minor and asserted control over Slavs in the Balkans. He gained ground in southern Italy but lost Syracuse (878) and other key cities in Sicily to the Muslims. He also formulated the Greek legal code known as the Basilica. In later life Basil showed signs of madness.
Basil II known as Basil Bulgaroctonus \,bul-g3-'rak-t9-n3s\ ("Slayer of the Bulgars") (b. 957/958—d. Dec. 15, 1025) Byzantine emperor (976-1025). Crowned coemperor with his brother in 960, he had to exile the grand chamberlain (985) and defeat rival generals (989) in order to gain the authority to rule. Basil became one of the strongest Byz¬ antine emperors, winning territory in the Balkans, Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Georgia. He was noted for his victory (1014) in the war with Bulgaria, which ended with his blinding all the soldiers in the defeated Bulgarian army. He increased his domestic authority by attacking the landed inter¬ ests of the military aristocracy and of the church. Because Basil left no able successor, the gains of his rule were soon undone.
Basil the Great, Saint (b. ad 329, Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia— d. Jan. 1, 379, Caesarea; Western feast day January 2; Eastern feast day January 1) Early church father. Born into a Christian family in Cappado¬ cia, he studied at Caesarea, Constan¬ tinople, and Athens and later established a monastic settlement on the family estate at Annesi. He opposed Arianism, which was sup¬ ported by the emperor Valens and his own bishop Dianius, and organized resistance to it after 365. He suc¬ ceeded Eusebius as bishop of Cae¬ sarea in 370. He died shortly after Valens, whose death in battle opened the way for the victory of Basil’s cause. More than 300 of his letters survive; several of his Canonical Epistles have become part of canon law in Eastern Orthodoxy.
basilica Originally a secular pub¬ lic building in ancient Rome, typically a large rectangular structure with an open hall and a raised platform at one or both ends. In one type, the central hall was flanked by side aisles set off by colonnades, and the raised platform was enclosed by an apse. The early Christians adopted this type for their churches. In the typical early Christian basilica, the columns separating the nave from the lower side aisles carried either arches or entablatures, above which rose clerestory walls that supported the roof. The long nave came to be crossed just before the apse by a shorter tran¬ sept, creating the cross-shaped plan that remains a standard church form to the present. “Basilica” is also a title of honor given to a Roman Catho¬ lic or Greek Orthodox church distinguished by its antiquity or its role as an international center of worship. See also cathedral.