BASAL
What does "BASAL" mean?
Forming or relating to a base; fundamental or at the lowest level.
Meanings
- Relating to, situated at, or forming a base. The plant's leaves spread in a basal rosette at ground level. technical
- Of physiology: pertaining to the minimum level of activity, as in basal metabolic rate. Doctors measure basal metabolic rate while the body is fully at rest. technical
- Fundamental; constituting a foundation or starting point. These are the basal skills every later lesson builds on. formal
Word origin
From 'base' (the bottom or foundation), from Latin 'basis' via Greek 'basis' (a stepping, foundation), plus the adjective suffix '-al'.
Remember it
BASAL = BASE + AL: it's the adjective form of 'base'. Picture the BASe of a column, the lowest stone.
A little poem
Below every leaf-
the quiet basal layer
no one thanks, or sees.
haiku
Wordplay
- The biologist and the architect argued about what 'basal' meant - one pointed at a cell, one at a column, both pointed at the bottom.
What it teaches
What sits at the base is rarely admired and never optional - the foundation gets no applause, only the building's weight.
Quick facts
What does BASAL mean?
Forming or relating to a base; fundamental or at the lowest level.
Is BASAL a valid word?
Yes — BASAL is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is BASAL?
BASAL has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does BASAL come from?
From 'base' (the bottom or foundation), from Latin 'basis' via Greek 'basis' (a stepping, foundation), plus the adjective suffix '-al'.
What can BASAL teach us?
What sits at the base is rarely admired and never optional - the foundation gets no applause, only the building's weight.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.