basin

Meanings

1. A round, bowl-shaped container for holding water.
2. A low area of land drained by a river.

Example sentences

• "She filled the basin with warm water."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

• "The Amazon basin is the largest in the world."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

• "He washed his face in the basin."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

• "The farmer lives in the river basin."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• sink : A sink is fixed to the wall or counter and has a drain. A basin can be a movable bowl.
• bowl : A bowl is a deep dish for food. A basin is wider and used for water.

Word family and forms

Forms: basins

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "basin".

• a basin of water
• a washbasin
• a river basin
• a sugar basin
• fill the basin
• a bathroom basin

Origin

Basin came into English in the 1100s and 1200s from Old French bacin, which came from Late Latin baccinum, a wide bowl. It may be related to an older Latin word for a water vessel. English has used the word for a bowl for centuries.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Basin has a base-like sound: ba-sin. A basin is a low, wide place that holds water.

Test yourself

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