Basal

/[ˈbeɪzəɫ]/ adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1
base, bottom, minimum
2
Any basal structure or part

Adjective

1
Basic, elementary; relating to, or forming, the base, or point of origin.
"This is the basal idea."
2
Associated with the base of an organism or structure.
"In the spring, basal leaves emerge from a stout taproot."
3
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.
"Hittite is a basal Indo-European language."

Adjective

1
especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem wordnet
2
serving as or forming a base wordnet
3
of or being the essential or basic part wordnet

Synonyms

basic basilar elementary radical ab ovo aboriginal

Example

"I'm keeping a record of basal body temperature."

Etymology

From base + -al.

Related phrases

basal amniote basal body basal bristle basal cell basal cell carcinoma basal dicot basal ganglion basal lamina basal layer basal medium basal metabolic rate basal metabolism

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.