Basketry Is Older Than Pottery
A basket is a container of woven material. Weaving containers predates fired clay, and probably shaped how pottery was invented.
A basket is a container made by weaving flexible material. Basketry is among the oldest crafts known, older than pottery, and some archaeologists think the two are connected: early pots bear the impressions of woven forms, suggesting clay was first used to line baskets before anyone thought to fire the clay alone.
- A woven container. *A wicker basket.*
- The hoop in basketball. *He sank the basket.*
- A group of things. *A basket of currencies.*
- Basket case — someone unable to function (originally callous slang). *An economic basket case.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | basket | A picnic basket. |
| Plural | baskets | Stacked baskets. |
| Noun | basketry | Traditional basketry. |
| Compound | basketball | A game of basketball. |
| Related | wicker | A wicker chair. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Do not put all your eggs in one basket.Spread the risk.
- A basket of goods measures inflation.Economics.
- Basketball was invented with peach baskets.Literally, in 1891.
Basket weaving terms
- Wicker — the woven work, usually of willow
- Withy — a flexible willow rod used for weaving
- Coiling — building up a spiral and stitching it
- Plaiting — interlacing flat strips
- Randing — weaving a single rod in and out of the uprights
From Anglo-French *basket*, of uncertain earlier origin. Basketball was named for the peach baskets used as goals in the first games.
Is basketry older than pottery?
Yes, on current evidence. Woven containers predate fired ceramics, and some early pots carry the impressions of basketwork.
Where does *basket case* come from?
It began as callous First World War slang for a soldier with severe injuries. The modern uses are figurative and the original sense has faded.