basal
nounEtymology From base + -al.
1
base, bottom, minimum
basal
adjUK [ˈbeɪsəɫ] · US [ˈbeɪzəɫ]
Etymology From base + -al.
1
Basic, elementary; relating to, or forming, the base, or point of origin.
- This is the basal idea.
- The organism needs more energy on basal maintenance.
1 more example
- A basal reader is a kind of book that is used to teach reading.
- In the spring, basal leaves emerge from a stout taproot.
3
Medicine, Sciences Of a minimal level that is necessary for maintaining the health or life of an organism.
- a basal diet
4
In a phylogenetic tree, being a group, or member of a group, which diverged earlier. The earliest clade to branch in a larger clade.
Chiefly systematics
- Hittite is a basal Indo-European language.
- A magnolia is a basal angiosperm.
- Synonyms
- basilar
- Derived terms
55 terms
adbasal, anterobasal, apicobasal, basal amniote, basal body, basal bristle, basal cell, basal cell carcinoma, basal dicot, basal ganglion, basality, basal lamina, basal layer, basally, basal medium, basal metabolic rate, basal metabolism, basalmost, basaloid, basal reader, basal tomentum, basal tubercle, basal wall, bibasal, condylobasal, corticobasal, dibasal, dorsobasal, hypobasal, inferobasal, laterobasal, mediobasal, mesiobasal, mesobasal, midbasal, nasobasal, neurobasal, nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome, nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, nonbasal, palatobasal, parabasal, peribasal, polybasal, posterobasal, prebasal, probasal, proximobasal, subbasal, suprabasal, temporobasal, transbasal, tribasal, unibasal, ventrobasal