basal

[ bey-suhl, -zuhl ]

/ ˈbeɪ səl, -zəl /

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See synonyms for basal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, at, or forming the base.

forming a basis; fundamental; basic.

Physiology.

indicating a standard low level of activity of an organism, as during total rest.
of an amount required to maintain this level.

Medicine/Medical. serving to induce a preliminary or light anesthesia prior to total anesthetization.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of basal

First recorded in 1820–30; base¹ + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM basal

ba·sal·ly, adverbpre·ba·sal, adjective

Words nearby basal

baryton, barytone, Barzun, B.A.S., basad, basal, basal anaesthesia, basal body, basal cell, basal cell carcinoma, basal conglomerate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use basal in a sentence

It receives massive inputs from the arousal-regulating structures of the brainstem, midbrain, and basal forebrain, and appears to play a role in filtering those signals in response to changing cognitive needs.
My Lab Uses Ultrasound to Stimulate Unconscious Patients - Facts So Romantic|Joshua Cain|June 15, 2021|Nautilus
The key is in the separation of the signals entering the neuron for forward-going inference and for backward-flowing errors, which could be handled in the model by the basal and apical dendrites, respectively.
Artificial Neural Nets Finally Yield Clues to How Brains Learn|Anil Ananthaswamy|February 18, 2021|Quanta Magazine
In addition to the pygophore and the telltale stripes on the legs, the new fossil also distinctly shows the "basal plate," a structure shaped like a stirrup that supports the penis.
Rare 50 million-year-old fossilized bug flashes its penis for posterity|Jennifer Ouellette|February 4, 2021|Ars Technica
The more thyroxine a person’s thyroid gland produces, the higher that person’s basal metabolic rate will be.
Some people can eat anything and not gain a pound. How metabolism affects the calories you burn each day.|Terezie Tolar-Peterson|January 2, 2021|Washington Post

These microbes had been surviving in a desiccated state, not yet dead but having reduced their metabolism to the minimum, carrying out only what are called basal functions.
Preserving a Sense of Wonder in DNA - Issue 92: Frontiers|Virat Markandeya|October 28, 2020|Nautilus
Coffee Consumption Associated with Decreased Risk for Basal-Cell Carcinoma.
Can Coffee Save Your Life?|Anneli Rufus|October 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It makes out of the savage raw material which is our basal mental stuff, a citizen.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The specimens from Honduras have a basal cusp on the hinder edge of the lower canine.
A Synopsis of the American Bats of the Genus Pipistrellus|Walter W. Dalquest
Prothorax two-thirds wider than long, sides parallel in basal half, convergent anteriorly.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology, March 1917|Various
Out of this basal belief have sprung up the stories that relate the deeds of the 'hidden' saints.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
This he did on an oak branch six feet long whose basal end was placed in water.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various

British Dictionary definitions for basal

basal

/ (ˈbeɪsəl) /

adjective

at, of, or constituting a base

of or constituting a foundation or basis; fundamental; essential

Derived forms of basal

basally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

basal

Origin of basal

OTHER WORDS FROM basal

Words nearby basal

Words related to basal

How to use basal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for basal

Derived forms of basal