basin

American  

[bey-suhn] / ˈbeɪ sən /

noun

1. a circular container with a greater width than depth, becoming smaller toward the bottom, used chiefly to hold water or other liquid, especially for washing.

2. any container of similar shape, as the pan of a balance.

3. the quantity held by such a container.

   We need another basin of water to dilute the mixture.

4. a natural or artificial hollow place containing water.

5. a partially enclosed, sheltered area along a shore, often partly man-made or dredged to a greater depth, where boats may be moored.

   a yacht basin.

6. Geology.  an area in which the strata dip from the margins toward a common center.

7. Physical Geography.

   1. a hollow or depression in the earth's surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land.

      river basin.

   2. drainage basin.

8. Botany.  the depression in an apple, pear, or other pome at the end opposite the stem.

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basin British  

/ ˈbeɪsən /

noun

1. a round container open and wide at the top with sides sloping inwards towards the bottom or base, esp one in which liquids are mixed or stored

2. Also called: basinful.  the amount a basin will hold

3. a washbasin or sink

4. any partially enclosed or sheltered area where vessels may be moored or docked

5. the catchment area of a particular river and its tributaries or of a lake or sea

6. a depression in the earth's surface

7. geology a part of the earth's surface consisting of rock strata that slope down to a common centre

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basin Scientific  

/ bā′sĭn /

1. A region drained by a river and its tributaries.

2. A low-lying area on the Earth's surface in which thick layers of sediment have accumulated. Some basins are bowl-shaped while others are elongate. Basins form through tectonic processes, especially in fault-bordered intermontane areas or in areas where the Earth's crust has warped downwards. They are often a source of valuable oil.

3. An artificially enclosed area of a river or harbor designed so that the water level remains unaffected by tidal changes.

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Other Word Forms

• basinal adjective
• basined adjective
• basinlike adjective
• interbasin adjective
• subbasin noun

Etymology

Origin of basin

1175–1225; Middle English bacin < Old French < Late Latin bac ( c ) īnum ( bacc ( a ) water vessel, back ³ + -īnum -ine ¹ ); perhaps further related in Latin to beaker

Example Sentences

Set in the Llanos de Moxos, a vast network of savannas, gallery forests, and floodplains that make up the largest wetland system in the Amazon basin, this area has inspired curiosity for centuries.

From Science Daily

Hurricane Melissa was the strongest storm ever to hit Jamaica and tied for the strongest hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic basin.

From BBC

"We have not been able to find new conventional deposits that are very cost-competitive, with the exception of conventional gas deposits in the offshore southern basin," he says.

From BBC

Its sandy soils have a low capacity for retaining water and a poor level of organic matter, as does the rest of the Congo River basin, according to the FAO.

From Barron's

“With the gas distribution network already constrained, the U.S. gas market could face supply bottlenecks, price volatility, and a growing dependence on higher-cost supply basins,” analysts at McKinsey said in a report.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bowl
• lagoon
• pan
• pool
• pot
• tub
• valley
• watershed