Forms: 6 bassawe, -shawe, -cha, (bassat, basso), 6–7 bassi, 6–8 bassa, basha, 7 bashawe, bassaw, -shaw, -char, bacha, 9 bashe, 7– bashaw. [a. Turkish bāshā, variant of pāshā, prob. f. bāsh head, the Old Turkish not distinguishing p and b (Prof. Rieu): see PASHA. The earliest English form came indirectly through med.L. and It. bassa (later It. bascià); other spellings represent 16–17th c. F. bachat, mod.F. bacha, pacha.]
1. The earlier form of the Turkish title PASHA.
1534. More, Comf. agst. Trib., III. Wks. 1218/2. His Bassawes … surmount verye farre aboue any christen estate.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 771. The Turke loste foure score 1000 men as one of his Bassates did afterwarde confesse.
1601. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw., 49. The Bassas … as it were Harpies, sucke the verye bloud of the people.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., X. lvii. 252. His Bands of Janizaries … He out of these his Captaines, and his Bassies doth elect.
1678. Butler, Hud., III. III. 306. Or else their Sultan-Populaces Still strangle all their routed Bassa’s.
1693. Mem. Cnt. Teckely, IV. 15. He created Vizier Ismal Bacha.
1695. Motteux, St. Olon’s Morocco, 31. A Captain, to whom they give the Title of Baschar.
1743. Fielding, J. Wild, III. vii. (1762), 322. He addressed me with all the insolence of a basha to a Circassian slave.
1860. Motley, Netherl. (1868), I. iii. 79. I will offer service to one of the Turk’s bashaws.
c. Bashaw of two or three tails: one of lower or higher rank, as indicated by the number of horsetails borne on his standard.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), II. XIII. ii. 295. He was appointed basha of three tails.
1798. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Tales of Hoy, Wks. 1812, IV. 422. He would fly to Constantinople, hang up a bashaw of three tails.
2. fig. A grandee; a haughty, imperious man.
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T. (1613), 85. The diuels chiefe Basso, Ambition.
a. 1670. Hacket, Abp. Williams, I. 82. In every society of men there will be some Bashawes, who presume that there are many rules of law from which they should be exempted.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, 16. The young men … looked up to this insolent bashaw with timid respect.
1872. Geo. Eliot, Middlem., liii. (1873), 185. You’ve taken to being a nob, buying land, being a country bashaw!
