Basin

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbeɪs(ə)n/

Definitions

1. A bowl-shaped depression or container, often used for holding water or other liquids
2. A natural or artificial hollow area that collects and retains water, typically found in geographical features, while also serving as a receptacle for liquids
3. A large, open area where water naturally accumulates or is intentionally stored, often forming part of a drainage system or landscape feature

Etymology: The word "basin" arrived in English from Old French "bacin," which itself came from a Vulgar Latin form, "baccinum," meaning a wide bowl. That Latin base is likely linked to "bacca," a word for a berry or a small container, so the vessel's name may have started out describing its shape or function rather than its material. The trail is longer than it looks. The Gaulish and Proto-Celtic forms "baskis" sit behind the Latin word, suggesting that a Celtic term for a vessel was taken into Latin and then reshaped as it passed through the speech of ordinary people in the late Roman world. Middle English then adopted the word as "basyn," and the modern spelling settled over the following centuries.

Synonyms: bowl, sink, washbasin, basin sink, container