the bottom support of anything; that on which a thing stands or rests

a metal base for the table.

a fundamental principle or groundwork; foundation; basis

the base of needed reforms.

the bottom layer or coating, as of makeup or paint.

Architecture .

the distinctively treated portion of a column or pier below the shaft or shafts.

the distinctively treated lowermost portion of any construction, as a monument, exterior wall, etc.

Botany, Zoology .

the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment.

the point of attachment.

the principal element or ingredient of anything, considered as its fundamental part

face cream with a lanolin base; paint with a lead base.

that from which a commencement, as of action or reckoning, is made; a starting point or point of departure.

Baseball .

any of the four corners of the diamond, esp. first, second, or third base. Compare home plate .

a square canvas sack containing sawdust or some other light material, for marking first, second, or third base.

a starting line or point for runners, racing cars, etc.

(in hockey and other games) the goal.

Military .

a fortified or more or less protected area or place from which the operations of an army or an air force proceed.

a supply installation for a large military force.

Geometry . the line or surface forming the part of a figure that is most nearly horizontal or on which it is supposed to stand.

Mathematics .

the number that serves as a starting point for a logarithmic or other numerical system.

a collection of subsets of a topological space having the property that every open set in the given topology can be written as the union of sets of the collection.

a collection of neighborhoods of a point such that every neighborhood of the point contains one from the collection.

a collection of sets of a given filter such that every set in the filter is contained in some set in the collection.

Also called base line. Surveying . See under triangulation ( def. 1 ) .

Painting .

vehicle ( def. 10 ) .

Also called carrier. inert matter, used in the preparation of lakes, onto which a coloring compound is precipitated.

Photography . a thin, flexible layer of cellulose triacetate or similar material that holds the light-sensitive film emulsion and other coatings, esp. on motion-picture film.

Chemistry .

a compound that reacts with an acid to form a salt, as ammonia, calcium hydroxide, or certain nitrogen-containing organic compounds.

the hydroxide of a metal or of an electropositive element or group.

a group or molecule that takes up or accepts protons.

a molecule or ion containing an atom with a free pair of electrons that can be donated to an acid; an electron-pair donor.

any of the purine and pyrimidine compounds found in nucleic acids

the purines adenine and guanine and the pyrimidines cytosine, thymine, and uracil.

Grammar . the part of a complex word, consisting of one or more morphemes, to which derivational or inflectional affixes may be added, as want in unwanted or biolog- in biological. Compare root 1 ( def. 11 ) , stem 1 ( def. 16 ) .

Linguistics . the component of a generative grammar containing the lexicon and phrase-structure rules that generate the deep structure of sentences.

Electronics .

an electrode or terminal on a transistor other than the emitter or collector electrodes or terminals.

the part of an incandescent lamp or electron tube that includes the terminals for making electrical connection to a circuit or power supply.

Stock Exchange . the level at which a security ceases a decline in price.

Heraldry . the lower part of an escutcheon.

bases, Armor . a tonlet formed of two shaped steel plates assembled side by side.

Jewelry . pavilion ( def. 6 ) .

in base, Heraldry . in the lower part of an escutcheon.

serving as or forming a base

The walls will need a base coat and two finishing coats.

to make or form a base or foundation for.

to establish, as a fact or conclusion (usually fol. by on or upon )

He based his assumption of her guilt on the fact that she had no alibi.

to place or establish on a base or basis; ground; found (usually fol. by on or upon )

Our plan is based on a rising economy.

to station, place, or situate (usually fol. by at or on )

He is based at Fort Benning. The squadron is based on a carrier.

to have a basis; be based (usually fol. by on or upon )

Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.

to have or maintain a base

I believe they had based on Greenland at one time.

get to first base. first base ( def. 2 ) .

off base

Baseball . not touching a base

The pitcher caught him off base and, after a quick throw, he was put out by the second baseman.

Informal . badly mistaken

The police were way off base when they tried to accuse her of the theft.

on base

Baseball . having reached a base or bases

Two men are on base.

touch base with

to make contact with

They've touched base with every political group on campus.

adjective

situated , stationed , planted , established , positioned , occupying , placed