base
 I. base1 (bās)n.
1. The lowest or bottom part:
the base of a cliff; the base of a lamp.
2. Biology.
a. The part of a plant or animal organ that is nearest to its point of attachment.
b. The point of attachment of such an organ.
3.
a. A supporting part or layer; a foundation:
a skyscraper built on a base of solid rock.
b. A basic or underlying element; infrastructure:
the nation's industrial base.
4. The fundamental principle or underlying concept of a system or theory; a basis.
5. A fundamental ingredient; a chief constituent:
a paint with an oil base.
6. The fact, observation, or premise from which a reasoning process is begun.
7.
a. Games. A starting point, safety area, or goal.
b. Baseball. Any one of the four corners of an infield, marked by a bag or plate, that must be touched by a runner before a run can be scored.
8. A center of organization, supply, or activity; a headquarters.
9.
a. A fortified center of operations.
b. A supply center for a large force of military personnel.
10. A facial cosmetic used to even out the complexion or provide a surface for other makeup; a foundation.
11. Architecture. The lowest part of a structure, such as a wall, considered as a separate unit:
the base of a column.
12. Heraldry. The lower part of a shield.
13. Linguistics. A morpheme or morphemes regarded as a form to which affixes or other bases may be added.
14. Mathematics.
a. The side or face of a geometric figure to which an altitude is or is thought to be drawn.
b. The number that is raised to various powers to generate the principal counting units of a number system. The base of the decimal system, for example, is 10.
c. The number raised to the logarithm of a designated number in order to produce that designated number; the number at which a chosen logarithmic scale has the value 1.
15. A line used as a reference for measurement or computations.
16. Chemistry.
a. Any of a class of compounds whose aqueous solutions are characterized by a bitter taste, a slippery feel, the ability to turn litmus blue, and the ability to react with acids to form salts.
b. A substance that yields hydroxyl ions when dissolved in water.
c. A substance that can act as a proton acceptor.
d. A substance that can donate a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond.
17. Electronics.
a. The region in a transistor between the emitter and the collector.
b. The electrode attached to this region.
18. One of the nitrogen-containing purines (adenine and guanine) or pyrimidines (cytosine, thymine, and uracil) that occurs attached to the sugar component of DNA or RNA.adj.
1. Forming or serving as a base:
a base layer of soil.
2. Situated at or near the base or bottom:
a base camp for the mountain climbers.
3. Chemistry. Of, relating to, or containing a base.tr.v. based, bas·ing, bas·es
1. To form or provide a base for:
based the new company in Portland.
2. To find a basis for; establish:
based her conclusions on the report; a film based on a best-selling novel.
3. To assign to a base; station:
troops based in the Middle East.Idiom:off base
Badly mistaken. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin basis, from Greek. See gʷā- in Indo-European Roots.]
Synonyms: base1, basis, foundation, ground1, groundwork
These nouns all pertain to what underlies and supports. Base is applied chiefly to material objects: the wide base of the pyramid. Basis is used in a nonphysical sense: “Healthy scepticism is the basis of all accurate observation” (Arthur Conan Doyle). Foundation often stresses firmness of support for something of relative magnitude: “Our flagrant disregard for the law attacks the foundation of this society” (Peter D. Relic). Ground is used figuratively in the plural to mean a justifiable reason: grounds for divorce. Groundwork usually has the sense of a necessary preliminary: “It [the Universal Declaration of Human Rights] has laid the groundwork for the world's war crimes tribunals” (Hillary Rodham Clinton). II. base2 (bās)adj. bas·er, bas·est
1.
a. Having or showing a contemptible, mean-spirited, or selfish lack of human decency. See Synonyms at mean2.
b. Devoid of high values or ethics:
a base, degrading way of life.
c. Inferior in value or quality.
2. Containing inferior substances:
a base metal.
3. Archaic. Of low birth, rank, or position.
4. Obsolete. Short in stature.n. Obsolete
A bass singer or voice. [Middle English bas, low, from Old French, from Medieval Latin bassus.] baseʹly adv.baseʹness n.
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