basal

adjective bas·al \ ˈbā-səl , -zəl \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of basal

1 a : relating to, situated at, or forming the base

b : arising from the base of a stem

basal leaves

2 a : of or relating to the foundation, base, or essence : fundamental

b : of, relating to, or being essential for maintaining the fundamental vital activities of an organism : minimal

a basal diet

c : used for teaching beginners

basal readers

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basally

adverb

See basal defined for kids

Examples of basal in a Sentence

she clearly lacked even a basal familiarity with the topic

Recent Examples of basal from the Web

That's not the case anymore: Young women are getting melanoma, and squamous- and basal-cell carcinomas (less-aggressive but still potentially deadly forms of skin cancer) are increasing.

— elizabeth siegel, Allure, "Why Skin Cancer Is the Most Common Type of Cancer — and Why Women Are More Likely to Contract It," 21 Mar. 2018
Women tend to have a slightly higher basal temperature than men.

— richard klasco, m.d., New York Times, "Do I Have a Fever? My Temperature Is 98.6 but I Feel Feverish," 9 Feb. 2018
Some basal species that are believed to be representative of earlier forms of dragonfish have unusual attachments between the vertebrae and the cranium but not a hinge, per se.

— jackson landers, Smithsonian, "This Hinged Skull Helps Dragonfish Eat Prey Bigger Than Its Head," 17 Feb. 2017
He was put under local anesthetic and doctors removed basal cell carcinoma, a common, slow-growing form of skin cancer, from the right side of his nose.

— Orange County Register, "Gov. Jerry Brown to get further prostate cancer treatment," 28 Jan. 2017
This thin skin is most likely to develop basal cell and squamous cell cancers, so the recommendation is to wear the largest pair of sunglasses possible to protect the eyelids and surrounding skin.

— susan scutti, CNN, "What you should know before buying sunglasses," 30 May 2017
In the United States, about 245,000 basal cell and 168,000 squamous cell carcinomas develop each year as a result of indoor tanning, compared with 6,200 melanomas, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

— sue arrowsmith, miamiherald, "Watch out for those tanning beds — they’re linked to skin cancer," 27 May 2017
It is designed to provide a non-surgical alternative to remove basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma without leaving a scar.

— marcia heroux pounds, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Boca Raton company disrupts dermatology with alternative to skin cancer surgery," 26 May 2017
That number is the sum of our basal metabolic rate, the calories the body burns carrying out basic functions such as breathing and repairing cells; and thermogenesis, the calories expended to digest and process food.

— ellie krieger, chicagotribune.com, "The truth behind 4 'metabolism-boosting' foods," 24 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.