base

/bˈeɪs/ · 1 syllable

Meaning

noun

installation from which a military force initiates operations
“the attack wiped out our forward bases”
lowest support of a structure
“it was built on a base of solid rock”
a place that the runner must touch before scoring
“he scrambled to get back to the bag”
the bottom or lowest part
“the base of the mountain”
(anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment
“the base of the skull”
a lower limit
“the government established a wage floor”
the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained
“the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture”
a support or foundation
“the base of the lamp”
a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
“bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia”
the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the altitude can be constructed
“the base of the triangle”
the most important or necessary part of something
“the basis of this drink is orange juice”

adjective

serving as or forming a base
“the painter applied a base coat followed by two finishing coats”
of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense)
“baseborn wretches with dirty faces”
(used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior metal
“base coins of aluminum”
not adhering to ethical or moral principles
“base and unpatriotic motives”
having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality- Edmund Burke- Shakespeare
“that liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble”
illegitimate
debased; not genuine
“an attempt to eliminate the base coinage”

verb

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