Basketweaving

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The handicraft of constructing baskets by weaving flexible strips of cane, willow, reed, or similar material over and under each other
2. A traditional craft involving the interlacing of pliable strands such as straw or wooden splints to form functional or decorative woven containers
3. The practice of creating baskets through the systematic interweaving of flexible materials in over-and-under patterns to produce sturdy woven vessels

Etymology: "Basketweaving" is a plain compound: "basket" combined with "weaving," the present participle of "weave." The basket itself is an old English word, and the verb "weave" goes back to Old English "wefan," so both halves of the word are native and ancient. Nothing about the formation is hidden or surprising; the word simply joins two everyday terms into a single noun for the craft. The more interesting story lies in how the term left the workshop. Because basket-making was long a practical, handed-down skill, "basketweaving" was used for the craft itself, and in American English it came to stand for undemanding coursework, a phrase for studies that seem easy or of little practical value. Using it that way, speakers turned a traditional handicraft into shorthand for a supposedly soft academic subject, a meaning that rests on a comparison of effort rather than on any fact about the craft.

Synonyms: basket weaving