Basal means relating to or forming the base of something.
[technical]
Side shoots should be cut back to one leaf above the basal cluster.
...the basal layer of the skin.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Your basal metabolic rate is the rate at which your body uses energy when it is at rest.
[technical]
Regular exercise can increase your basal metabolic rate.
Basal metabolism is much lower for creatures in cold water.
basal in British English
(ˈbeɪsəl)
adjective
1.
at, of, or constituting a base
2.
of or constituting a foundation or basis; fundamental; essential
Derived forms
basally (ˈbasally)
adverb
basal in American English
(ˈbeɪsəl)
adjective
1.
of, at, or forming the base
2.
being the base or basis; basic; fundamental
3. Botany
growing from the base of a stem
Derived forms
basally (ˈbasally)
adverb
Examples of 'basal' in a sentence
basal
It meant Theo's nerve cells were shrinking and atrophying, the ones in the cortex of his brain, and deeper down in the basal ganglia.
Patricia Gaffney FLIGHT LESSONS (2002)
All related terms of 'basal'
basal cell
a cell of the basal , or deepest , layer of the epidermis
basal ganglia
the thalamus together with other closely related masses of grey matter, situated near the base of the brain
basal anaesthesia
preliminary and incomplete anaesthesia induced to prepare a surgical patient for total anaesthesia with another agent
basal anesthesia
anesthesia induced as a preliminary to further and deeper anesthesia
basal metabolism
the amount of energy required by an individual in the resting state, for such functions as breathing and circulation of the blood
basal cell carcinoma
a common and usually curable skin cancer that arises from epithelial cells and rarely metastasizes: often associated with overexposure to sunlight
basal metabolic rate
the rate at which heat is produced by the body at rest , 12 to 14 hours after eating , measured in kilocalories per square metre of body surface per hour
basal body temperature
the lowest temperature the body reaches in the resting state, typically during sleep . It is usually measured on waking