bushel basket
Definition
Noun: A bushel basket is a large, rigid container, traditionally woven from materials like wood splints or wire, designed to hold a volume equal to one bushel. A bushel is a unit of dry measure equivalent to 4 pecks, 8 gallons, or approximately 35.2 liters.
Usage and Examples
A bushel basket is used for harvesting, transporting, and selling bulk quantities of produce, such as fruits, vegetables, or shellfish. * The farmer filled a bushel basket with freshly picked apples. * At the market, oysters were sold by the bushel basket. * We collected almost a bushel basket of tomatoes from the garden.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use for Abundance: The term can be used figuratively to indicate a very large quantity of something.
- She received a bushel basket of fan mail after her performance.
Variants and Related Words
- Bushel (n.): The unit of measurement itself.
- Peck basket (n.): A smaller basket designed to hold one peck (1/4 of a bushel).
- Basket (n.): The general term for a container made of interwoven strips.
Synonyms
- Harvest basket
- Produce basket
- Crate (though a crate is typically made of wood or plastic and may not hold an exact bushel)
Notes
- The term specifically denotes a container sized for a bushel. Using it to describe other large baskets may be technically imprecise but is commonly understood.
- While historically common for trade, standardized bushel baskets are less frequently used in modern commercial packaging, though the term remains in use.
Noun
-
a basket large enough to hold a bushel
