basal
Americanadjective
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of, at, or forming the base.
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forming a basis; fundamental; basic.
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Physiology.
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indicating a standard low level of activity of an organism, as during total rest.
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of an amount required to maintain this level.
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Medicine/Medical. serving to induce a preliminary or light anesthesia prior to total anesthetization.
adjective
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at, of, or constituting a base
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of or constituting a foundation or basis; fundamental; essential
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of basal
Explanation
Something that's basal forms the base or the bottom layer of an object. The basal leaves on a plant are connected to the lowest section of its stem. In medicine, the word basal describes structures that are located at the base of some major organ or other body part. Basal ganglia, for example, are found at the base of the brain in humans, and a basal cell is at the deepest part of the skin. Basal comes from the word base, from the Latin basis, "foundation," via the Greek basis, "step or pedestal."
Vocabulary lists containing basal
The Lives of a Cell
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On the Origin of Species
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The basal ganglia receive information from the cerebral cortex, which helps control thinking, social behavior, and the ability to decide which sensory information deserves attention.
From Science Daily • May 10, 2026
Separately, in diabetes, Novo’s Awiqli received U.S. regulatory approval at the end of March, marking the first time a once-weekly basal insulin injection has been available in the U.S.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Non-melanoma cancers like basal and squamous cell are more common but usually less likely to spread or be fatal, he said.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay shared his skin cancer diagnosis on social media, revealing that he had surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025
“That’s what you call a basal thermometer. It reads the temperature down to a tenth of a degree.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
