base

base

base¹ [bās]

n.

[ME < OFr bas < L basis,BASIS]

1. the thing or part on which something rests; lowest part or bottom; foundation

2. the fundamental or main part, as of a plan, organization, system, theory, etc.

3. the principal or essential ingredient, or the one serving as a vehicle [paint with an oil base]

4. anything from which a start is made; basis

5. the point of attachment of a part of the body [the base of the thumb]

6. a center of operations or source of supply; headquarters, as of a military operation or exploring expedition

7.

a) the bottommost layer or coat, as of paint

b) a makeup cream to give a desired color to the skin, esp. in the theater

8. Archit. the lower part, as of a column, pier, or wall, regarded as a separate unit

9. Baseball any of the four objects at the four corners of the infield that must be reached safely one after the other to score a run: three ( first base, second base, and third base) are set above the ground while the fourth ( home plate) is set flush with the ground

10. Chem.

a) any compound that can react with an acid to form a salt, the hydroxyl of the base being replaced by a negative ion: in modern theory, any substance that produces a negative ion and donates electrons to an acid to form covalent bonds: in water solution a base tastes bitter, turns red litmus paper blue, and, in dissociation theory, produces free hydroxyl ions: see PH

b) any of the two purines (adenine or guanine) or three pyrimidines (thymine, cytosine, or uracil) that are the key building blocks of nucleic acid: see BASE PAIR

11. Dyeing a substance used for fixing colors

12. Electronics in some transistors, the region or layer of semiconductor material, acting as an electrode, that separates the emitter from the collector and receives an electric current of electrons or holes

13. Geom. the line or plane upon which a figure is thought of as resting [the base of a triangle]

14. Heraldry the lower portion of a shield

15. Linguis. any morpheme to which prefixes, suffixes, etc. are or can be added; stem or root

16. Math.

a) a whole number, esp. 10 or 2, made the fundamental number, and raised to various powers to produce the major counting units, of a number system; radix

b) any number raised to a power by an exponent: see LOGARITHM

c) a starting or reference figure or sum upon which certain calculations are made

adj.

forming a base

vt.

based, basing

1. to make or form a base or foundation for

2. to put or rest (on) as a base or basis [to base a guess on past experience]

3. to place or station (in or at a base)

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☆ off base

1. Baseball not touching the base

2. Slang taking a position or attitude that is unsound or in error

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☆ on base

Baseball at a base, having reached it safely with a base hit, walk, etc.

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☆ touch all the bases

to deal with all related details

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☆ touch base or touch bases

to be in communication or contact

SYN.- BASE¹, as compared here, refers to a part or thing at the bottom acting as a support or underlying structure [the base of a lamp ]; BASIS, conveying the same idea, is the term preferred for nonphysical things [the basis of a theory ]; FOUNDATION stresses solidity in the underlying or supporting thing and often suggests permanence and stability in that which is built on it [the foundation of a house ]; GROUNDWORK, closely synonymous with FOUNDATION, is principally applied to nonphysical things [the groundwork of a good education ]

base² [bās]

adj.

baser, basest [ME & OFr bas < VL bassus, thick, stumpy, low]

1. having or showing little or no honor, courage, or decency; mean; ignoble; contemptible [a base coward, base ingratitude]

2. of a menial or degrading kind [base servitude]

3. inferior in quality

4. Now Rare not classical or cultivated [base Latin]

5. of comparatively low worth [iron is a base metal, gold a precious one]

6. debased or counterfeit [base coin]

7.

a) having the low feudal status of villein

b) held by one having this status [base tenure]

8. Archaic low in height; short

9. Archaic of servile, humble, or illegitimate birth

10. Obs. low or inferior in place or position

11. Obs. BASS¹

n.

Obs. BASS¹

basely

adv.

baseness

n.

SYN.- BASE² implies a putting of one's own interests ahead of one's obligations, as because of greed or cowardice [base motives ]; MEAN¹ suggests a contemptible pettiness of character or conduct [his mean attempts to slander her ]; IGNOBLE suggests a lack of high moral or intellectual qualities [to work for an ignoble end ]; ABJECT implies debasement and a contemptible lack of self-respect [an abject servant ]; SORDID connotes the depressing drabness of that which is mean or base [the sordid details of their affair ]; VILE suggests disgusting foulness or depravity [vile epithets ]; LOW¹ suggests rather generally coarseness, vulgarity, depravity, etc., specif. in reference to taking grossly unfair advantage [so low as to steal from one's own mother ]; DEGRADING suggests a lowering or corruption of moral standards [the degrading aspects of prison life ] -ANT. NOBLE, MORAL, VIRTUOUS