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. (1703), 185 (J.). The edges of these Flat Chissels are not ground to such a Basil as the Joyners Chissels are.
1721. Bailey, Basil is the Sloping edge of a chissel.
1823. P. 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, 11. 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, trans. Moufet’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.
