basin

ba·sin

noun \ˈbā-s^ən\

Definition of BASIN

1

a : an open usually circular vessel with sloping or curving sides used typically for holding water for washing b chiefly British : a bowl used especially in cooking c : the quantity contained in a basin

2

a : a dock built in a tidal river or harbor b : an enclosed or partly enclosed water area

3

a : a large or small depression in the surface of the land or in the ocean floor b : the entire tract of country drained by a river and its tributaries c : a great depression in the surface of the lithosphere occupied by an ocean

4

: a broad area of the earth beneath which the strata dip usually from the sides toward the center

— ba·sin·al \-s^ən-əl\ adjective

— ba·sined \-s^ənd\ adjective

— ba·sin·ful \-ˌfu̇l\ noun

Examples of BASIN

1. a basin of cold water
2. the drainage basin of a river
3. the Great Basin of the western U.S.

Origin of BASIN

Middle English, from Anglo-French bacin, from Late Latin bacchinon

First Known Use: 13th century

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Rhymes with BASIN

chasten, hasten, Jason, mason