basin

[ bey-suhn ]

/ ˈbeɪ sən /

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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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM basin

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

subbasin, noun

Words nearby basin

Basilicata, basilic vein, basilisk, Basilius, basil thyme, basin, basinet, basing point, Basingstoke, basin range, basion

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

How to use basin in a sentence

Small ponds and lakes then replaced larger lake basins at a time when rainfall became inconsistent.
How environmental changes may have helped make ancient humans more adaptable|Bruce Bower|October 21, 2020|Science News
The state was home to the test of the first atomic bomb in 1945, which is thought to have caused many cancers and other health problems throughout the basin range that was downwind from the test site.
Finding homes for the waste that will (probably) outlive humanity|Katie McLean|October 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Continuing to monitor these sites and comparing the records with data from devices in other ocean basins may help to clarify matters.
Even the deepest, coldest parts of the ocean are getting warmer|Maria Temming|October 20, 2020|Science News
Our current naming system is run by the World Meteorological Organization, which keeps a list of names to cycle through in each storm basin.
A nearly unprecedented cluster of tropical storms are brewing in the Atlantic|Sara Chodosh|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science

Around Mercury’s north and south poles, there are dozens of craters and basins that create permanent shadows.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
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
He would smuggle the live birds inside his shirt to get them back to his cell, where he had a killing basin.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison|Daniel Genis|June 21, 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
The last three years I've been in the Judith Basin, and southern outfits haven't begun to come in there yet.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
When used by gentlemen it was common to carry a silver basin to spit in.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
She peeped out at him two or three times as she stood washing herself in the little basin between the windows.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
On the wash-stand a spangled white tulle hat lay drowning in a basin half full of water.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
First let us take the case of a basin in which the water is allowed to flow out through a hole in its centre.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler

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

Scientific 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

Origin of basin

OTHER WORDS FROM basin

Words nearby basin

Words related to basin

How to use basin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for basin

Word Origin for basin

Scientific definitions for basin