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

Sediment from debris flows filled three debris basins to near capacity, threatening to flood an airport runway, and a section of channel bank of the Zanja de Cota Creek collapsed, sending trees and debris into the waterway on the Chumash Indian reservation, Newsom wrote. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024

One of the biggest concerns is the tailings basin where the waste is stored after copper is extracted from the ore. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024

The 405 Freeway is the main artery linking the western part of the valley to the Los Angeles basin. —Phil Helsel, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024

But in a news release Monday, the Ile-de-France precinct said key structural works in its cleanup plan were yet to be put into place, including the massive new Austerlitz storm water storage basin. —Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024

Also new is a 10-acre park designed around the stone basins once used to wash ocher ore brought from the neighboring village of Roussillon. —Siobhan Reid, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024

With any luck, in a decade, this mountain basin will be rewilded. —Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

To prevent that, overflow basins are being constructed in Gateway and Riverside Park. —Luke Ranker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024

The fish were historically found in backwaters and sloughs along the lower Colorado River and in slow-moving seeps and streams in the Salton Sink basin, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. —Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

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

• slop basin
• sub-basin
• inter-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