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.
Close to 99% of these cases are basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
The lesion -- clearly visible in recent weeks -- was a basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, said dermatologist Cristina Abdalla, who led the procedure at the Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
"For decades, Parkinson's has been primarily associated with motor deficits and the basal ganglia," the part of the brain that controls muscle movements, Liu said.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 8, 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
The centrioles, which hoist the microtubules on which chromosomes are strung for mitosis, are similar separate creatures; when not busy with mitosis, they become the basal bodies to which cilia are attached.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
