basal

English

Etymology

From base +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈbeɪsəɫ]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US, also) IPA^(key): [ˈbeɪzəɫ]
• Rhymes: -eɪsəl, -eɪzəl

Adjective

basal (comparative more basal, superlative most basal)

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.

   A basal reader is a kind of book that is used to teach reading.

2. (anatomy) Associated with the base of an organism or structure.

   In the spring, basal leaves emerge from a stout taproot.

3. (medicine) Of a minimal level that is necessary for maintaining the health or life of an organism.

   a basal diet

4. (chiefly systematics) In a phylogenetic tree, being a group, or member of a group, which diverged earlier. The earliest clade to branch in a larger clade.

   Hittite is a basal Indo-European language.

   A magnolia is a basal angiosperm.

Synonyms

• basilar

Derived 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

Translations

relating to, or forming, the base, or point of origin

• Bulgarian: основен (bg) (osnoven), фундаментален (bg) (fundamentalen)
• Catalan: basal (ca)
• Czech: základní (cs), bazální (cs)
• Dutch: basaal (nl)
• Hungarian: alapvető (hu)
• Ido: bazala (io)
• Romanian: de bază, bazal, fundamental (ro)
• Spanish: basal (es)

associated with the base of an organism or structure

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 基底的 (zh) (jīdǐ de) (academic)

• German: basal (de)
• Hungarian: alapi (hu), bazális (hu)

of a minimal level that is necessary for maintaining the health or life of an organism

• Dutch: basaal (nl)

being a group, or member of a group, which diverged earlier

• Dutch: basaal (nl)
• Finnish: basaalinen, basaali
• Hungarian: bazális (hu)

Noun

basal (plural basals)

1. base, bottom, minimum
2. (anatomy) Any basal structure or part

Anagrams

• Labas, balsa, balas, Baals, laabs, blaas, albas, baals, Baʿals, sabal, Ba'als, LABAs

Afar

Basal.

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic بَصَل (baṣal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbasal/ [ˈbʌsʌl]
• Hyphenation: ba‧sal

Noun

básal m (singulative basáltu m)

1. (collective) onions

Declension

Declension of básal
absolutive	básal
predicative	básala
subjective	básal
genitive	básal
Postpositioned forms l-case básalal k-case básalak t-case básalat h-case básalah

References

• E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), “basal”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Adjective

basal (feminine basale, masculine plural basaux, feminine plural basales)

1. basal

Descendants

• → Romanian: bazal
• → Turkish: bazal

Further reading

• “basal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

basal (strong nominative masculine singular basaler, comparative basaler, superlative am basalsten)

1. basal

Declension

Positive forms of basal

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist basal	sie ist basal	es ist basal	sie sind basal
strong declension (without article)	nominative	basaler	basale	basales	basale
	genitive	basalen	basaler	basalen	basaler
	dative	basalem	basaler	basalem	basalen
	accusative	basalen	basale	basales	basale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der basale	die basale	das basale	die basalen
	genitive	des basalen	der basalen	des basalen	der basalen
	dative	dem basalen	der basalen	dem basalen	den basalen
	accusative	den basalen	die basale	das basale	die basalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein basaler	eine basale	ein basales	(keine) basalen
	genitive	eines basalen	einer basalen	eines basalen	(keiner) basalen
	dative	einem basalen	einer basalen	einem basalen	(keinen) basalen
	accusative	einen basalen	eine basale	ein basales	(keine) basalen

Comparative forms of basal

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist basaler	sie ist basaler	es ist basaler	sie sind basaler
strong declension (without article)	nominative	basalerer	basalere	basaleres	basalere
	genitive	basaleren	basalerer	basaleren	basalerer
	dative	basalerem	basalerer	basalerem	basaleren
	accusative	basaleren	basalere	basaleres	basalere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der basalere	die basalere	das basalere	die basaleren
	genitive	des basaleren	der basaleren	des basaleren	der basaleren
	dative	dem basaleren	der basaleren	dem basaleren	den basaleren
	accusative	den basaleren	die basalere	das basalere	die basaleren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein basalerer	eine basalere	ein basaleres	(keine) basaleren
	genitive	eines basaleren	einer basaleren	eines basaleren	(keiner) basaleren
	dative	einem basaleren	einer basaleren	einem basaleren	(keinen) basaleren
	accusative	einen basaleren	eine basalere	ein basaleres	(keine) basaleren

Superlative forms of basal

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am basalsten	sie ist am basalsten	es ist am basalsten	sie sind am basalsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	basalster	basalste	basalstes	basalste
	genitive	basalsten	basalster	basalsten	basalster
	dative	basalstem	basalster	basalstem	basalsten
	accusative	basalsten	basalste	basalstes	basalste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der basalste	die basalste	das basalste	die basalsten
	genitive	des basalsten	der basalsten	des basalsten	der basalsten
	dative	dem basalsten	der basalsten	dem basalsten	den basalsten
	accusative	den basalsten	die basalste	das basalste	die basalsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein basalster	eine basalste	ein basalstes	(keine) basalsten
	genitive	eines basalsten	einer basalsten	eines basalsten	(keiner) basalsten
	dative	einem basalsten	einer basalsten	einem basalsten	(keinen) basalsten
	accusative	einen basalsten	eine basalste	ein basalstes	(keine) basalsten

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbasal/ [ˈba.sal]
• Rhymes: -asal
• Syllabification: ba‧sal

Etymology 1

From Dutch basalt, from French basalte, from Middle French basalte, from Late Latin basaltes, a misspelling of Latin basanites, from Ancient Greek βασανίτης (basanítēs), from βάσανος (básanos, “touchstone”), from Egyptian bḫn (“a hard stone”).

Noun

basal (plural basal-basal)

1. (geology) basalt

Alternative forms

• basalt (Standard Malay)

Etymology 2

From Malay basal (“dropsy”), from Arabic بَصَل (baṣal, “onion, bulb”).

Noun

basal (plural basal-basal)

1. dropsy, edema

   Synonym: edema

Etymology 3

From Dutch basaal, from English basal.

Adjective

basal (comparative lebih basal, superlative paling basal)

1. basal, basic

   Synonym: dasar

2. (anatomy, histology) basal (associated with the base of an organism or structure)
3. (medicine) basal (of a minimal level that is necessary for maintaining the health or life of an organism)

Noun

basal (plural basal-basal)

1. basal, base, bottom, minimum
2. (anatomy) basal (any basal structure or part)

Derived terms

• basal ganglia

Further reading

• “basal”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Maltese

FWOTD – 7 October 2020

Etymology

From Arabic بَصَل (baṣal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.sal/
• Rhymes: -asal

Noun

basal m (collective, singulative basla, paucal basliet, diminutive bsajla)

1. onion (as a mass or species); several onions
   • 2018, “Tasal li tiekol burger bid-dud?”, in Television Malta (TVM)‎^[1]:

     Biex il-burger ikun komplut jisserva bil-ħass, basal u tadam u diġà kien suċċess fl-Olanda u l-Belġju.

     For the burger to be complete it is served with lettuce, onions and tomatoes; it has already been a success in the Netherlands and Belgium.

2. bulbs

Derived terms

• basli (bulbous)
• bassal (to peel onions)

Maranao

Verb

basal

1. to beat, to knock

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /baˈzaw/ [baˈzaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzal/ [bɐˈzaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐˈzal/ [bɐˈzaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐˈza.li/

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: ba‧sal

Adjective

basal m or f (plural basais, not comparable)

1. basal

Further reading

• “basal”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “basal”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈsal/ [baˈsal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ba‧sal

Adjective

basal m or f (masculine and feminine plural basales)

1. basal, foundational, underlying

Derived terms

• basalmente
• cuerpo basal
• ganglio basal
• membrana basal
• metabolismo basal

Related terms

• base

Further reading

• “basal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025