To lie or relax in a warm, pleasant place, especially in the sun. It can also mean to enjoy praise or attention with quiet satisfaction.
It likely comes from Old Norse “baðask,” meaning to bathe oneself, especially in warmth. Over time it focused on warmth and comfort rather than washing.
When you bask in praise, the language quietly compares compliments to warm sunlight on your skin. We instinctively treat emotional warmth and physical warmth as the same kind of comfort.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.