bask means the act of bathing in warmth.
bask is pronounced /bɑːsk/.
Why “bask” is a great word
To lie exposed to and enjoy a pleasant warmth, especially from the sun, or to take great pleasure or satisfaction in something. From Middle English basken, from Old Norse baðask ("to take a bath", literally "to bathe oneself"), the mediopassive form of baða ("to bathe") + sik ("oneself"), from Proto-Germanic *baþōną and *sek; first attested in English c. 1393, initially in the sense of 'wallowing in blood'. Unlike "sunbathe," which implies deliberate exposure for effect, or "revel," which suggests noisy, active celebration, "bask" describes a quiet, passive, and total absorption. It is the lizard motionless on a sun-warmed stone, the cat unfurled in a rectangle of afternoon light, the tranquil glow of a mind steeped in remembered praise — a state of being so thoroughly suffused with warmth that the self seems to dissolve into the offering.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English basken, from Old Norse baðask (“to take a bath”, literally “to bathe oneself”), mediopassive form from underlying baða (“to bathe”) + sik (“oneself”), from Proto-Germanic *baþōną and *sek. Doublet of English bathe.
noun
- The act of bathing in warmth.e.g.“Most cats enjoy a bask in the sunshine.”
- A group of crocodiles; the collective noun for crocodiles.
verb
- To bathe in warmth; to be exposed to pleasant heat.e.g.“to bask in the sun”
- To take great pleasure or satisfaction; to feel warmth or happiness. (Usually followed by "in".)e.g.“to bask in someone’s favour”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- apricate 86% match — To bask in the sun. vs bask →
- aprication 83% match — The act of apricating, or basking in the sun. vs bask →
- radiant 82% match — Radiating light and/or heat. vs bask →
- insolate 82% match — To dry in, or expose to, the sun's rays; to ripen or prepare by such exposure. vs bask →
- hygge 82% match — A feeling of cosiness, comfort, contentment and conviviality. vs bask →
- swelter 82% match — To suffer terribly from intense heat. vs bask →
- moonbath 81% match — A period spent exposed (as by moonbathing) to moonlight. vs bask →
- moonbathe 81% match — To expose one's body to moonlight in order to relax, or in the belief that it has restorative effects. (Compare sunbathe.) vs bask →