basal

At or near the bottom of a living thing or a structure.

• The plant has broad basal leaves.
• Damage affected the basal layer of skin.
• New shoots appeared near the basal part of the stem.

Common phrases: basal leaves, basal layer, basal cells

At the lowest level needed to keep a living thing alive and healthy.

• The study measured basal energy needs.
• Her basal metabolic rate was higher than expected.
• The animals received a basal diet throughout the experiment.

Similar words: minimum, maintenance

Common phrases: basal metabolic rate, basal requirements, basal diet

Basic, or forming the starting point on which something else is built.

• This is the basal principle of the theory.
• The argument rests on a few basal ideas.
• Students must first understand the system's basal assumptions.

Similar words: basic, fundamental, elementary

Common phrases: basal principle, basal idea

Belonging to a group that separated early from other groups sharing the same origin.

• This species belongs to a basal lineage.
• The diagram shows a basal branch of the family.
• Researchers compared basal groups with those that separated later.

Similar words: early-diverging

Common phrases: basal lineage, basal group, basal branch

A base, bottom part, or lowest level.

• The diagram marks the basal at the bottom.
• Record the basal before measuring the increase.
• The measured basal serves as our reference value.

Similar words: base, bottom, minimum

Common phrases: measured basal, the basal

A part or structure found at the base of something.

• A small basal supports the structure.
• The fossil preserves several basals.
• Each basal is attached to a larger skeletal plate.

Similar words: basal part

Common phrases: skeletal basal, small basal