basin

[ bey-suh n ]

/ ˈbeɪ sən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR basin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

the quantity held by such a container: We need another basin of water to dilute the mixture.

a natural or artificial hollow place containing water.

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.

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

Physical Geography.

a hollow or depression in the earth's surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land: river basin.
drainage basin.

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

Nearby words

basilica, basilican, basilicata, basilisk, basilius, basin, basin range, basinet, basing point, basingstoke, basion

Origin of basin

1175–1225; Middle English bacin < Old French < Late Latin bac(c)īnum (bacc(a) water vessel, back³ + -īnum -ine¹); perhaps further related in Latin to beaker

Related forms

ba·sin·al, adjectiveba·sined, adjectiveba·sin·like, adjectivein·ter·ba·sin, adjective

sub·ba·sin, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for basin

Another boy walks around and offers a water jug and basin for everyone to wash their hands.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A lake may dry up in one region, but a new one can form when rains fill a basin elsewhere.
A Cloud Forms Over Saturn’s Mysterious Moon|Matthew R. Francis|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A pair of magnitude 4-5 earthquakes in the Los Angeles basin.
A Lot of Earthquakes Have Been Reported Lately, but Scientists Aren’t Worried|Erik Klemetti|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the same instant he plunged his hand into the basin and drew out the flower.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He picked up an Easter lily which Geneviève had brought that morning from Notre Dame, and dropped it into the basin.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He led her to a bench in the middle of the walk that runs about the basin.
Pierre and Luce|Romain Rolland
He not only bore the basin of warm water but a towel as well.
The Banner Boy Scouts Snowbound|George A. Warren
It is bounded on the north-east by the Kouenlun chain of mountains, by which it is separated from the basin of Yarkand.
Western Himalaya and Tibet|Thomas Thomson
Suddenly I had a kind of vision, I know not why, of a basin filled with dirty water in which all that hair had been washed.
Original Short Stories, Volume 5 (of 13)|Guy de Maupassant
Standing in the midst, propped between a basin and a cup, was the unframed photograph of a woman.
A Sheaf of Corn|Mary E. Mann

British Dictionary definitions for basin

basin

/ (ˈbeɪsən) /

noun

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

Also called: basinful the amount a basin will hold

a washbasin or sink

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

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

a depression in the earth's surface

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

Word Origin for basin

C13: from Old French bacin, from Late Latin bacchīnon, from Vulgar Latin bacca (unattested) container for water; related to Latin bāca berry

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

Science definitions for basin

basin

[ bā′sĭn ]

A region drained by a river and its tributaries.

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.

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

basin

noun

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Origin of basin

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Examples from the Web for basin

British Dictionary definitions for basin

basin

noun

Word Origin for basin

Science definitions for basin

basin