base
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English base, bas, baas, from Old French base, from Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis). Doublet of basis and bass.
Noun
base (countable and uncountable, plural bases)
- Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
- A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
- Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house.
- A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
- The starting point of a logical deduction or thought; basis.
- A permanent structure for housing military personnel and material.
- The place where decisions for an organization are made; headquarters.
- (cooking, painting, pharmacy) A basic but essential component or ingredient.
- A substance used as a mordant in dyeing.[1]
- (cosmetics) Foundation: a cosmetic cream to make the face appear uniform.
- (chemistry) Any of a class of generally water-soluble compounds that turn red litmus blue and react with acids to form salts.
- Important areas in games and sports.
- A safe zone in the children's games of tag and hide-and-go-seek.
- (baseball) One of the four places that a runner can stand without being subject to being tagged out when the ball is in play.
- (architecture) The lowermost part of a column, between the shaft and the pedestal or pavement.
- (biology, biochemistry) A nucleotide's nucleobase in the context of a DNA or RNA biopolymer.
- (botany) The end of a leaf, petal or similar organ where it is attached to its support.
- (electronics) The name of the controlling terminal of a bipolar transistor (BJT).
- (geometry) The lowest side of a triangle or other polygon, or the lowest face of a cone, pyramid or other polyhedron laid flat.
- (heraldry) The lowest third of a shield (or field), or an ordinary occupying this space, the champagne. (Compare terrace..)
- (mathematics) A number raised to the power of an exponent.
- The logarithm to base 2 of 8 is 3.
- (mathematics) Synonym of radix.
- (topology) The set of sets from which a topology is generated.
- (topology) A topological space, looked at in relation to one of its covering spaces, fibrations, or bundles.
- (group theory) A sequence of elements not jointly stabilized by any nontrivial group element.
- (acrobatics, cheerleading) In hand-to-hand balance, the person who supports the flyer; the person that remains in contact with the ground.
- (linguistics) A morpheme (or morphemes) that serves as a basic foundation on which affixes can be attached.
- (music) Dated form of bass.
- 1709, J[ohn] Dryden, J[ohn] Oldham, “(please specify the page)”, in Mac Flecknoe: A Poem. […] With Spencer’s Ghost: Being a Satyr Concerning Poetry. […], London: […] H[enry] Hills, […], →OCLC:
- The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar.
- (military, historical) The smallest kind of cannon.
- (archaic) The housing of a horse.
- (historical, sometimes in the plural) A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
- 1842, Joseph Strutt, A Complete View of the Dress and Habits of the People of England, page 246:
- […] with flowers of gold, the body lined with velvet, and the bases, or skirts, with satin; also a frock of black satin, lined with sarcenet, having three welts of the same.
- (historical, sometimes in the plural) A kind of armour skirt, of mail or plate, imitating the preceding civilian skirt.
- 1977, Armours of Henry VIII:
- The base (skirt), as opposed to the practical skirt of the tonlet armour, is an affectation in imitation of the civilian fabric garment of the period and may well have been inspired by a similar feature on Maximilian's gift armour.
- 2007, AHRC Research Centre for Textile Conservation and Textile Studies. Conference, Textiles and Text: Re-establishing the Links Between Archival and Object-based Research : Postprints, pages 47–49:
- Both knee-length bases are made from black velvet [...] There was a second type of metal skirt that could be worn with armour: the tonlet. [...] Unlike the base, however, the tonlet did not have a textile counterpart. [...]
- (obsolete) The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
- (obsolete) An apron.
- 1613, John Marston, The Insatiate Countess:
- bakers in their linen bases
- A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
- 1834, Mary Somerville, On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences:
- Use the globe he inhabits as a base wherewith to measure the magnitude and distance of the sun and planets.
- (politics) A group of voters who almost always support a single party's candidates for elected office.
- Synonyms: electoral base, political base
- (Marxism) The forces and relations of production that produce the necessities and amenities of life.
- Synonym: substructure
- Antonym: superstructure
- A material that holds paint or other materials together; a binder.
- (aviation) Short for base leg.
- (slang, uncountable) freebase cocaine
- 2019 January 20, Ann Cleeves, Paul Matthew Thompson, 1:26:51 from the start, in Lawrence Gough, director, Vera(Cuckoo) (9), episode 2 (TV series), spoken by Tyler Lennon (Louis Healy):
- TYLER LENNON (played by Louis Healy): Ten grand a week we were clearing: base, white, meth, weed, anything. I can get you anything to get you high.
Synonyms
- (chemical compound that will neutralize an acid): alkali
Antonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
- abase
- acid-base
- acid-base equilibrium
- acid-base indicator
- acid-base pair
- agawan base
- all your base are belong to us
- basal
- base address
- base angle
- base anhydride
- base bag
- base-ball
- base ball
- baseball
- baseband
- baseboard
- baseborn
- base box
- base-burner
- baseburner
- base camp
- base case
- base censor
- base character
- base chief
- base class
- basecoat
- base coat
- base color
- base colour
- base communications
- base course
- base court
- base exchange
- base flashing
- baseflow
- base fluid
- base form
- base gas
- base hit
- base hospital
- base isolation
- baselayer
- baseless
- baselevel
- baselike
- baseline
- baseload
- base load
- basely
- baseman
- base memory
- basement
- base molding
- base moulding
- basename
- base note
- base off
- base off of
- base-on-balls
- base on balls
- base out
- base over apex
- base pair
- base-pair breathing
- basepath
- base path
- base pay
- baseperson
- baseplate
- baseplate
- base-player
- base-playing
- basepoint
- base point
- base port
- base radio
- base rate
- base rate fallacy
- base rent
- base right
- base ring
- baserunner
- base runner
- base-running
- baserunning
- base sequence
- base sheet
- base ship
- base shoot
- base squadron
- base station
- base station subsystem
- base-stealer
- basestealer
- base-stealing
- basestock
- base substitution
- base table
- basetender
- base tunnel
- base unit
- base upon
- base wallah
- basewide
- basewise
- basewoman
- baseword
- base year
- basic
- basically
- basics
- basification
- basify
- basilar
- basogenic
- Bronsted base
- Brønsted base
- Bronsted-Lowry base
- client base
- cloud base
- cocaine base
- codebase
- coinbase
- conjugate acid-base pair
- conjugate base
- consumer base
- contribution base
- cooking base
- cost base
- cover one's bases
- cranial base
- customer base
- data-base
- database
- data base
- disbase
- double base
- embase
- empty base
- exobase
- extra base hit
- fan base
- fifth base
- firebase
- free base
- freebase
- get to first base
- get to second base
- gigabase
- gnathobase
- gynobase
- helibase
- Hoogsteen base pair
- Hünig's base
- imbase
- installed base
- isoanabase
- isobase
- isocatabase
- kilobase
- landbase
- leafbase
- leuco base
- leuco-base
- Lewis base
- make first base
- megabase
- moon base
- multibase
- Navy Base
- nonbase
- off-base
- off base
- on base
- on-base percentage
- on-base plus slugging
- outbase
- panabase
- petabase
- phallobase
- playerbase
- polybase
- postbase
- prison base
- prisoner's
- prisoners' base
- product base
- pseudobase
- rheobase
- ribobase
- rimbase
- roadbase
- Schiff base
- seabase
- skull base disease
- snowbase
- soup base
- speaker base
- stanbase
- Starbase
- starbase
- star base
- stolen base
- subbase
- superbase
- surbase
- tax base
- terabase
- timebase
- time base
- times on base
- total base number
- touch base
- userbase
- versioned object base
- viewerbase
- wave base
- wheelbase
- wingbase
Translations
something from which other things extend
|
starting point of thought
|
permanent structure for housing military
|
headquarters
|
cooking, painting, pharmacy: basic but essential component or ingredient
|
cosmetics: a cosmetic cream to make the face appear uniform
|
chemical compound that will neutralize an acid
|
safe zone in children's game
baseball: one of the three places that a runner can stand in safety
|
lowermost part of a column
|
biology: nucleobase in the context of DNA or RNA
botany: end of a leaf, petal or similar organ where it is attached to its support
electronics: controlling terminal of a transistor
geometry: lowest side or face
|
heraldic charge: lowest third of a shield or field
math: number raised to the power of an exponent
|
radix — see radix
topology: topological space, looked at in relation to one of its covering spaces, fibrations, or bundles
acrobatics, cheerleading: person who supports the flyer
|
linguistics: morpheme that serves as foundation on which affixes can be attached
bass — see bass
historical: smallest kind of cannon
housing of a horse — see housing
historical: kind of skirt
apron — see apron
surveying: line that serves as the origin for measurements
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also
Other terms used in arithmetic operations:
- successor
- addition, summation:
- subtraction:
- (minuend) − (subtrahend) = (difference)
- multiplication, factorization:
- (multiplier) × (multiplicand) = (product)
- (factor) × (factor) × (factor)... = (product)
- division:
- exponentiation:
- root extraction:
- logarithmization:
- log(base) (antilogarithm) = (logarithm)
Advanced hyperoperations: tetration, pentation, hexation
Verb
base (third-person singular simple present bases, present participle basing, simple past and past participle based)
- (transitive) To give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.
- 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii:
- Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
- (transitive) To be located (at a particular place).
- (acrobatics, cheerleading) To act as a base; to be the person supporting the flyer.
- 2005, John T. Warren, Laura B. Lengel, Casting Gender: Women and Performance in Intercultural Context, →ISBN, page 73:
- Apart from time taken out during radio- and chemotherapy, Maurs continued to participate in POW. She would base a flyer in a double balance and make the audience laugh with her clowning antics for two more shows.
- (slang) To freebase.
- 1984, “8 Million Stories”, in Ego Trip, performed by Kurtis Blow ft. Run-DMC:
- You know he started to base at a hell of a pace / And now it's a disgrace, he's got the pipe in his face
Derived terms
Translations
have as its foundation or starting point
|
Etymology 2
From Middle English base, bas, from Old French bas, from Late Latin bassus (“low”). Cognate with Spanish bajo, Italian basso and base.
Adjective
base (comparative baser or more base, superlative basest or most base)
- (obsolete) Low in height; short.
- 1594, William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece, line 664:
- The cedar stoops not to the base shrub's foot.
- Low in place or position.
- c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Richard II, act 2, scene 4, lines 19–20:
- I see thy glory like a shooting star / Fall to the base earth from the firmament.
- (obsolete) Of low value or degree.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
- If thou livest in paine and sorrow, thy base courage is the cause of it, To die there wanteth but will.
- (archaic) Of low social standing or rank; vulgar, common.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:
- UUhat meanes the mightie Turkiſh Emperor
To talke with one ſo baſe as Tamburlaine?
- c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 285, column 2:
- Wherefore should I / Stand in the plague of custome, and permit / The curiosity of Nations, to deprive me? For that I am some twelve, or fourteen Moonshines / Lag of a Brother? Why Bastard? Wherefore base? / When my Dimensions are as well compact, My minde as generous, and my shape as true / As honest madams issue? Why brand they us / With Base? With basenes Bastardie? Base, Base?
- 1623, Francis Bacon, De Augmentis Scientiarum:
- a peasant and base swain
- Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
- 1551, Ralph Robynson, transl., More's Utopia:
- a cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind
- 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
- base ingratitude
- 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
- “Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it. […]”
- 2012, “The Diplomat”, performed by Pig Destroyer:
- We never, ever change / We make, the same mistakes / If you're gonna have roads / You're gonna have roadkill / That's the risk that it takes / Stone guns / Primitive tanks / Base emotions drive the horde / The diplomat takes, the rook from the board / I want to know what was, in the briefcase / Colder than cold war / Enemies without uniforms
- (now rare) Inferior; unworthy, of poor quality.
- 1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, London: Chatto & Windus:
- 'Like this horrible film.'
'Horrible?' Lenina was genuinely astonished. 'But I thought it was lovely.'
'It was base,' he said indignantly, 'it was ignoble.'
- (of a metal) Not considered precious or noble.
- Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.
- base coin
- base bullion
- (obsolete) Of illegitimate birth; bastard.
- c. 1605–1606, William Shakespeare, King Lear, act 1, scene 2, line 6:
- Why bastard? Wherefore base?
- Not classical or correct.
- 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
- base Latin
- Obsolete form of bass.
- the base tone of a violin
- (law) Relating to feudal land tenure held by a tenant from a lord in exchange for services that are seen as unworthy for noblemen to perform, such as villeinage.
- A base estate is one held by services not honourable, or held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant is a base tenant.
Usage notes
- Said of fellows, motives, occupations, etc.
Synonyms
- (low, short): little, petite, short
- (of position): low-lying, lowland
- (of value): See Thesaurus:insignificant
- (vulgar, common): common, low-born, lowly, plebeian, vulgar
- (immoral): See Thesaurus:despicable or Thesaurus:evil
- (of inferior quality): See Thesaurus:low-quality
- (describing metals):
- (of illegitimate birth): See Thesaurus:illegitimate
- (not classical):
- (not held by honourable service):
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
low
|
of inferior quality
|
immoral
|
vulgar, common
describing metals
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Etymology 3
Probably a specific use of Etymology 1, above; perhaps also a development of the plural of bar.
Noun
base (uncountable)
- (now chiefly US, historical) The game of prisoners' bars. [from 15th c.]
- 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
- to run the country base
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- So ran they all, as they had bene at bace, / They being chased that did others chase.
Etymology 4
Variant forms.
Noun
base
- Alternative form of BASE
Derived terms
- base jumper
- base jumping
Further reading
base on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 
Base in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
References
- 1839, Andrew Ure, A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines,
- “base”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “base”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
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