rock basinn.
/ˌrɒk ˈbeɪsn/, U.S. /ˌrɑk ˈbeɪsn/ A basin-shaped hollow in rock, esp. one of natural origin; (Geomorphology) a large depression in a rocky area that was formed by glacial erosion and is commonly filled by a lake.
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the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hollow or depression > [noun] > on or among hills
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rock basin1754
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1754 W. Borlase Observ. Antiq. Cornwall 165 The Rock-basons shew that it was usual to get upon the top of this Karn.
1859 C. Kingsley Misc. II. 288 A stream tinkling on from one rock-basin to another.
1882 A. Geikie Text-bk. Geol. vi. i. 888 The abundant ice-ground and lake-filled rock-basins of glaciated regions.
1943 Science 10 Sept. 229/1 Rock basins are an almost universal feature of glaciated regions.
1994 R. Hendrickson Happy Trails 228 There are places in the desert called tanks, where water collects in natural rock basins.
Compounds
rock-basin lake n.
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1862 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 4th Ser. 23 414 The numerous little rock-basin lakes near Ivrea in the line of the glacier of the Val d'Aosta.
1964 W. C. Putnam Geol. xiii. 331/2 Scores of clear, often dark blue, rock-basin lakes add immeasurably to the beauty of the alpine scene.
2006 R. Sale Best Walks in N. Wales (rev. ed.) 34/2 The tarn is a near-perfect example of a rock-basin lake.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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