How to Say "Basil" in French - How To Say Guide

basilic

/ba.zi.lik/masculine

The English word basil is basilic in French.

basilic refers to the aromatic herb used in cooking.

Meaning: herb (noun)

Which one should you use?

The masculine noun basilic refers to the herb, whereas the feminine noun basilique refers to a basilica, which is a type of church.

When you are referring to an unspecified amount of the herb in a sentence, use the partitive article du, as in du basilic (some basil).

/ba.zi.lik/

In French mythology and old folklore, the word basilic also refers to the cockatrice, a legendary serpent that could kill with a single glance.
The word basilic shares a root with the word basileus, which was the Greek term for 'king'.
In many French recipes, you will see the instruction ciseler le basilic, which means to finely chop the leaves into tiny ribbons rather than just cutting them.

N'oublie pas d'ajouter du basilic.
Don't forget to add basil.
This sentence is useful for remembering to add the herb to a dish.
Tatoeba #10966150 by lbdx, translation #10908851 by CM
Est-ce que tu veux du basilic sur tes spaghettis ?
Would you like basil on your spaghetti?
This sentence shows how to offer the herb for a specific meal.
Tatoeba #6602018 by aperitero, translation #6601904 by Eccles17
Le basilic est une herbe, la basilique est une église.
Basil is an herb, a basilica is a church.
This sentence highlights the difference between the herb and a church.
Tatoeba #13417169 by Rovo, translation #13564011 by rul
6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hugo and Léa are cooking a fresh tomato sauce in the kitchen.

Hugo

Est-ce qu'il reste du basilic ?
Is there any basil left?
Léa

Oui, j'ai acheté du basilic frais ce matin.
Yes, I bought some fresh basil this morning.
Hugo

Super, j'adore le goût du basilic.
Great, I love the taste of basil.
Léa

On va en mettre beaucoup dans la sauce.
We are going to put a lot in the sauce.

Sources

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