basin

noun

ba·​sin ˈbā-sᵊn 

1

a

: an open usually circular vessel with sloping or curving sides used typically for holding water for washing

a new washstand and basin

b

chiefly British : a bowl used especially in cooking

c

: the quantity contained in a basin

spilled a basin of water on the floor

2

a

: a dock built in a harbor or a river that is noticeably affected by the tide

b

: an enclosed or partly enclosed water area

3

geography

a

: a large or small depression in the surface of the land or in the ocean floor

the relatively shallow basin of the Baltic Sea

b

: the entire tract of country drained by a river and its tributaries

flooding in the Amazon river basin

c

: a great depression in the surface of the lithosphere occupied by an ocean

4

geology : a broad area of the earth beneath which the strata (see stratum sense 2a) dip usually from the sides toward the center

basinal

ˈbā-sᵊn-əl 

adjective

basined

ˈbā-sᵊnd 

adjective

basinful

ˈbā-sᵊn-ˌfu̇l 

noun

Examples of basin in a Sentence

a basin of cold water

the drainage basin of a river

the Great Basin of the western U.S.

Recent Examples on the Web

All seven ocean basins where tropical cyclones can form have had a storm reach Category 5 strength so far this year, including Hurricane Jova, which reached Category 5 status in the eastern Pacific earlier this week. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 9 Sep. 2023

Walczak expects a return of several thousand wild and hatchery coho after a few years of good production and downriver movement of juveniles (courtesy, in part, of PGE, and basin councils). —Bill Monroe, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023

In 1950, the U.S. National Hurricane Center began the formal practice of naming storms that develop in the Atlantic basin. —The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2023

On it, Singleton saw evidence of underwater landslides caused by earthquakes shaking the basin. —Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Sep. 2023

Africa, home to four of the world’s 15 largest river drainage basins—the Nile, the Niger, the Congo, and the Zambezi—has plenty of opportunity to build on them. —IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2023

The latest on Tropical Storm Franklin Elsewhere in the Atlantic basin, Tropical Storm Franklin continues to spin in the Atlantic Ocean. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023

And farther south, more than a dozen people were rescued from a homeless encampment in the San Diego River basin. —Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Aug. 2023

Hurricane Lee, now a powerful Category 4 hurricane, is one of only a handful of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin during the satellite era to intensify by 85 mph or more within a 24-hour period. —Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French bacin, going back to Vulgar Latin *baccīnum (whence Hellenized Late Latin bacchinon "disk with two wooden dishes"), derivative from a base *bak- or *bakk- (whence Latin bacar, bacriō "kind of vessel," early Medieval Latin bacarium, baccarium, becario "pitcher, vessel"), of obscure origin

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing basin

• sub-basin
• inter-basin
• slop basin

• sub-basin
• inter-basin
• slop basin

Kids Definition

basin

noun

ba·​sin ˈbās-ᵊn 

1

a

: a wide usually round container with sloping or curving sides for holding liquids

b

: the amount that a basin holds

2

: a hollow area or enclosure containing water

especially : a partly enclosed water area for anchoring ships

3

a

: the land drained by a river and its branches

b

: a large or small hollow area in the surface of the land or in the ocean floor

c

: a great hollow area in the surface of the lithosphere filled by an ocean

4

: a broad area of the earth beneath which layers of sedimentary rock dip usually from the sides toward the center

Medical Definition

basin

noun

ba·​sin ˈbās-ᵊn 

1

: an open usually circular vessel with sloping or curving sides used typically for holding water for washing

2

: the quantity contained in a basin