English · Word Candidate

basin

/ˈbeɪsɪn/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: basins · basining · basinning · basined

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.

Noun

Examples

First, as you know, my house within the city Is richly furnished with plate and gold, Basins and ewers to lave her dainty hands;

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A depression, natural or artificial, containing water.

Noun

Examples

This shortly brought them to a bewitching spring, whose basin was incrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals […]

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

To create a concavity or depression in.

Verb

Examples

Then axial subsidence basined the surface of the dome.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

To serve as or become a basin.

Verb

Examples

To what degree this stress field formed in response to eastward movement of the African plate, to northward movement of the African plate relative to Europe, to basinning of the shelf between the eastern Canaries and Africa, or to other causes is as yet unknown.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “basin” mean?

A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.

Is “basin” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.