n. & v.
—n.
1 a a part that supports from beneath or serves as a foundation for an object or structure. b a notional structure or entity on which something draws or depends (power base).
2 a principle or starting-point; a basis.
3 esp. Mil. a place from which an operation or activity is directed.
4 a a main or important ingredient of a mixture. b a substance, e.g. water, in combination with which pigment forms paint etc.
5 a substance used as a foundation for make-up.
6 Chem. a substance capable of combining with an acid to form a salt and water and usu. producing hydroxide ions when dissolved in water.
7 Math. a number in terms of which other numbers or logarithms are expressed (see RADIX).
8 Archit. the part of a column between the shaft and pedestal or pavement.
9 Geom. a line or surface on which a figure is regarded as standing.
10 Surveying a known line used as a geometrical base for trigonometry.
11 Electronics the middle part of a transistor separating the emitter from the collector.
12 Linguistics a root or stem as the origin of a word or a derivative.
13 Baseball etc. one of the four stations that must be reached in turn when scoring a run.
14 Bot. & Zool. the end at which an organ is attached to the trunk.
15 Heraldry the lowest part of a shield.
—v.tr.
1 (usu. foll. by on, upon) found or establish (a theory based on speculation; his opinion was soundly based).
2 (foll. by at, in, etc.) station (troops were based in Malta).
Phrases and idioms:
base hospital esp. Austral. a hospital in a rural area, or (in warfare) removed from the field of action. base pairing Biochem. complementary binding by means of hydrogen bonds of a purine to a pyrimidine base in opposite strands of nucleic acids. base rate Brit. the interest rate set by the Bank of England, used as the basis for other banks' rates. base unit a unit that is defined arbitrarily and not by combinations of other units.
Etymology: F base or L basis stepping f. Gk
2.
adj.
1 lacking moral worth; cowardly, despicable.
2 menial.
3 not pure; alloyed (base coin).
4 (of a metal) low in value (opp. NOBLE, PRECIOUS).
Derivatives:
basely adv. baseness n.
Etymology: ME in sense 'of small height', f. F bas f. med.L bassus short (in L as a cognomen)
Useful english dictionary. 2012.