basin: Meaning and Definition of

ba•sin

Pronunciation: (bā'sun), [key]
— n.
  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. an area in which the strata dip from the margins toward a common center.
  7. river basin.
    1. a hollow or depression in the earth's surface, wholly or partly surrounded by higher land:river basin.
    2. Seedrainage basin.
  8. the depression in an apple, pear, or other pome at the end opposite the stem.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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