▪ I. bezel
(ˈbɛzəl)
Forms: 7 bezell, -ill, beasel, bizel, bezle, 7–8 beazil, 8 bezil, bazil, (9 beazel), 7– basil, bezel, 8– bezil.
[a. OF. *besel, *bezel, in mod.F. biseau, bizeau (cf. Sp. bisel), also basile; of unknown origin: it may be dim. of bis, bez, or contain that word. (It does not represent med.L. bisalus.) Cf. belef, bevel.]
1. A slope, a sloping edge or face: esp. that of a chisel or other cutting tool (commonly basil.)
| 1611 Cotgr., Biseau, a bezle, bezeling, or scuing; such a slopenesse, or slope form, as is in the point of an yron leauer, chizle, &c. 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. (J.) These chissels are not ground to such a basil as the joiner's chissels. 1721 Bailey, Basil is the Sloping edge of a chissel. 1823 Nicholson Pract. Build. 225 Edge-tools are sharpened, by applying the basil to the convex surface [of a grind-stone]. |
2. The oblique sides or faces of a cut gem; spec. the various oblique faces and edges of a brilliant, which lie round the ‘table’ or large central plane on the upper surface, comprising the 8 star-facets, 16 skill-facets, and 8 lozenges. [Cf. Sp. bisel ‘edge of a looking-glass, or crystal plate.’]
| 1839–75 Ure Dict. Arts II. 25 Upper skill-facets are wrought on the lower part of the bezil, and terminate in the girdle; star-facets are wrought on the upper part of the bezil, and terminate in the table; lozenges are formed by the meeting of the skill- and star-facets on the bezil. |
3. ‘The groove and projecting flange or lip by which the crystal of a watch or the stone of a jewel is retained in its setting.’
| 1616 Bullokar, Bezill. 1623 Cockeram, Bezell, the broad place of a Ring where the stone is set. 1658 Rowland Mouffet's Theat. Ins. 968 In the uttermost part of the wings, as if it were four Adamants glistering in a beazil of Hyacinth. 1680 Lond. Gaz. No. 1499/4 One silver [watch]..the hours in form of Diamonds, the Out-case holes with Bizels for the sound of the Bell. 1783 Ainsworth Lat. Dict. (Morell) iv. s.v. Gyges, When he turned the beazil to the palm of the hand. 1826 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. III. 496 The partitions that separate the lenses, or rather Bezels in which they are set. 1877 W. Jones Finger-ring 12 A long oval bezel chased in intaglio. |
4. Comb. bezelwise adv., sloping, bevelled.
| 1727 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Chimney, The Sides of the Frame and Trap are made slope or bezelwise. |
▪ II. bezel, v.
(ˈbɛzəl)
Also 7 basil.
[f. prec. n.]
trans. To grind (a tool) down to an edge; to cut to a sloping edge, to bevel.
| 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 185 The Chissels..are Basil'd away on both the flat sides. 1715 Desaguliers Fires Impr. 122 Instead of rabbiting the Frame and Trap-Door, let both be bezell'd or sloap'd. |
▪ III. bezel(l
variant of bezzle v. Obs.