BASIN

basin, or bason (the older form _bacin_ is found in many of the romanic languages, from the late lat. _baccinus_ or _bacchinus_, probably derived from _bacca_, a bowl), a round vessel for holding liquids. hence the term has various technical uses, as of a dock constructed with flood-gates in a tidal-river, or of a widening in a canal for unloading barges; also, in physical geography, of the drainage area of a river and its tributaries. in geology, "basin" is equivalent to a broad shallow syncline, _i.e._ it is a structure proper to the bed rock of the district covered by the term; it must not be confused with the physiographic river basin, although it occasionally happens that the two coincide to some extent. some of the better known geological basins in england are, the _london basin_, a shallow trough or syncline of tertiary, cretaceous and jurassic rocks; the _hampshire basin_, of similar formations; and the numerous _coal basins_, _e.g._ the s. wales coalfield, the forest of dean, n. staffordshire coalfield, &c. the _paris basin_ is made of strata similar to those in the london and hampshire basins. strictly speaking, a structural basin is formed of rock beds which exhibit a _centroclinal_ dip; an elongated narrow syncline or trough is not a basin. "rock-basins" are comparatively small, steep-sided depressions that have been scooped out of the solid rock in mountainous regions, mainly through the agency of glaciers (see cirque). lakes sometimes occupy basins that have been caused by the removal in solution of some of the more soluble constituents (rock salt, &c.) in the underlying strata; occasionally lake basins have been formed directly by crustal movements. basinet (a diminutive of "basin"), a form of helmet or headpiece. the original small basinet was a light open cap, with a peaked crown. this was used alternately to, and even in conjunction with, the large heavy heaume. but in the latter half of the 13th century the basinet was developed into a complete war head-dress and replaced the heaume. in this form it was larger and heavier, had a vizor (though not always a pivoted vizor like that of the later armet), and was connected with the gorget by a "camail" or mail hood, the head and neck thus being entirely covered. it is always to be recognized by its peaked crown. the word is spelt in various forms, "bassinet," "bascinet," "bacinet," or "basnet." the form "bassinet" is used for the hooded wicker cradle or perambulator for babies.