basin
/ˈbeɪsɪn/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.08 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A depression, natural or artificial, containing water.
noun
A shallow depression in a rock formation, such as an area of down-folded rock that has accumulated a thick layer of sediments, or an area scooped out by water erosion.
noun
An enclosed or sheltered area of water where boats are moored, often equipped with piers, wharves, or docks.
verb
To create a concavity or depression in.
Example Sentences
- "First, as you know, my house within the city Is richly furnished with plate and gold, Basins and ewers to lave her dainty hands;"
- "After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded."
- "What then, you will say, must a man sit with his chops and fingers up to the ears and knuckles in grease? No; let those who cannot eat without defiling themselves, step into another room, provided with basons and towels: but I think it would be better to institute schools, where youth may learn to eat their victuals, without daubing themselves, or giving offence to the eyes of one another."
- "Everybody had washed before going to bed, apparently, and the bowls were ringed with a dark sediment which the hard, alkaline water had not dissolved. Shutting the door on this disorder, he turned back to the kitchen, took Mahailey’s tin basin, doused his face and head in cold water, and began to plaster down his wet hair."
- "[…] Mr. John Knightley, ashamed of his ill-humour, was now all kindness and attention; and so particularly solicitous for the comfort of her father, as to seem—if not quite ready to join him in a basin of gruel—perfectly sensible of its being exceedingly wholesome […]"
- "They have a good basin of coffee or cocoa for breakfast […]"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *baskis Gaulish *baskisder. Latin bacca Vulgar Latin *baccinum Old French bacinbor. Middle English basyn English basin From Middle English basyn, from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccinum (“wide bowl”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: basyn, bacin, *baccinum
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbeɪsɪn/
- British English: /ˈbeɪsɪn/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Basin in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)