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Basin

 - 5 dictionary results

ba⋅sin

[bey-suhn]
–noun
1. a circular container with a greater width than depth, becoming smaller toward the bottom, used chiefly to hold water or other liquid, esp. for washing.
2. any container of similar shape, as the pan of a balance.
3. the quantity held by such a container: We need another basin of water to dilute the mixture.
4. a natural or artificial hollow place containing water.
5. 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.
6. Geology. an area in which the strata dip from the margins toward a common center.
7. Physical Geography.
a. a hollow or depression in the earth's surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land: river basin.
b. drainage basin.
8. Botany. the depression in an apple, pear, or other pome at the end opposite the stem.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME bacin < OF < LL bac(c)īnum (bacc(a) water vessel, back 3 + -īnum -ine 1 ); perh. further related in Latin to beaker


ba⋅sin⋅al, adjective
basined, adjective
ba⋅sin⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Basin
ba·sin   (bā'sĭn)   
n.  
    1. An open, shallow, usually round container used especially for holding liquids.

    2. The amount that such a vessel can hold.

    3. An artificially enclosed area of a river or harbor designed so that the water level remains unaffected by tidal changes.

    4. A small enclosed or partly enclosed body of water.

    5. A broad tract of land in which the rock strata are tilted toward a common center.

    6. A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor.

  1. A washbowl; a sink.

    1. An artificially enclosed area of a river or harbor designed so that the water level remains unaffected by tidal changes.

    2. A small enclosed or partly enclosed body of water.

    3. A broad tract of land in which the rock strata are tilted toward a common center.

    4. A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor.

  2. A region drained by a single river system: the Amazon basin.

  3. Geology

    1. A broad tract of land in which the rock strata are tilted toward a common center.

    2. A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor.


[Middle English, from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccīnum, from *baccus, container, of Celtic origin.]
ba'sin·al adj., ba'sined (-sĭnd) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

basin 
c.1220, from O.Fr. bacin, from V.L. *baccinum, from L. bacca "water vessel," perhaps originally Gaulish. Meaning "large-scale artificial water-holding landscape feature" is from 1712. Geological sense of "tract of country drained by one river or draining into one sea" is from 1830.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ba·sin
Pronunciation: 'bAs-&n
Function: noun
1 : an open usually circular vessel with sloping or curving sides usedtypically for holding water for washing
2 : the quantity contained in a basin
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Basin

or Bason. (1.) A trough or laver (Heb. aggan') for washing (Ex. 24:6); rendered also "goblet" (Cant. 7:2) and "cups" (Isa. 22:24). (2.) A covered dish or urn (Heb. k'for) among the vessels of the temple (1 Chr. 28:17; Ezra 1:10; 8:27). (3.) A vase (Heb. mizrak) from which to sprinkle anything. A metallic vessel; sometimes rendered "bowl" (Amos 6:6; Zech. 9:15). The vessels of the tabernacle were of brass (Ex. 27:3), while those of the temple were of gold (2 Chr. 4:8). (4.) A utensil (Heb. saph) for holding the blood of the victims (Ex. 12:22); also a basin for domestic purposes (2 Sam. 17:28). The various vessels spoken of by the names "basin, bowl, charger, cup, and dish," cannot now be accurately distinguished. The basin in which our Lord washed the disciples' feet (John 13:5) must have been larger and deeper than the hand-basin.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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