Bas-Relief
/ˌbæs.rɪˈliːf/noun
A sculpture or design in which the shapes project only slightly from the background.
Did you know?Bas-relief came into English from French, and the same old root behind bas also survives in English words like bass and basso, all carrying the idea of “low” in very different forms.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
bassus
“low, thick-set, stunted”
Old French
Old French
bas
“low, short, humble”
17th Century
French
bas-relief
“a low sculptural relief”
18th Century
English
bas-relief
“a sculptured or molded image projecting slightly from a background”
Modern English
English
bas-relief
“a relief sculpture with only a shallow projection from the background”