base¹ /bās/

1. That on which something rests
2. The foot, bottom
3. A foundation, support
4. The part, eg of an organ of a plant or animal, nearest the place of attachment
5. The foot of a pillar, on which the shaft rests (architecture)
6. The side or face on which a geometrical figure is regarded as standing
7. A number on which a system of numeration or of logarithms is founded
8. The chief ingredient
9. An ingredient of a mixture that plays a subsidiary but important part, such as giving bulk
10. In dyeing, a mordant
11. A starting point
12. A standard against which comparisons can be made
13. In make-up, the foundation or first layer of colour applied to the skin
14. A baseline
15. A fixed station in games such as baseball
16. An old game of which prisoners'-base and rounders are forms, and baseball a development (possibly a different word; see bar¹)
17. A place from which operations are conducted or on which they depend
18. Home or headquarters eg of a fleet
19. A compound that reacts with an acid to form a salt, or dissolves in water forming hydroxyl ions (chem)
20. The region between the emitter and collector of a transistor, into which minority carriers are injected (electronics)
21. That element in words to which suffixes and prefixes are added, the stem (philology)
22. The lower part of a shield (heraldry)
23. (in pl) a knee-length pleated skirt worn by medieval knights (Spenser)
24. A horse's housing (Milton)

1. To make or form a base
2. To found or place on a base

bāsˈal adjective

1. Relating to or situated at the base
2. At the lowest level
3. (loosely) fundamental

baseˈless adjective

Without a base or foundation

baseˈlessness noun

baseˈment noun

1. The storey of a building beneath the ground floor
2. An underlying support
3. A complex of igneous and metamorphic rocks beneath sedimentary rock (geology)

basilar /basˈil-ər/ adjective

Situated at the base, esp of the skull

basal anaesthesia noun

Anaesthesia acting as a basis for further and deeper anaesthesia

basal ganglia plural noun

In vertebrates, ganglia connecting the cerebrum with other nerve centres

basal metabolic rate noun

The output of calories per square metre of body surface per hour by a fasting and resting individual

basal metabolism noun

The amount of energy required by a fasting and resting individual

basal plane noun (crystallography)

A crystal face or form parallel to the lateral or horizontal axes

baseˈball noun

1. A team game, played nine-a-side with bat and ball, the players on the batting side attempting to score runs by progressing around four bases on the field
2. A ball used for this game

baseball cap noun

A tight-fitting cap with a long peak

baseˈballer noun

baseˈband adjective (telecommunications)

Applied to a device capable of operating only over a narrow range of frequencies

baseˈboard noun

1. A board which forms a base for something
2. A skirting-board (N American)

baseˈ-burner noun (N American)

A stove in which fuel is fed automatically from a hopper

base hospital noun (Aust)

A hospital that serves a wide rural area

baseˈ-level noun (geography)

The level to which land can be or is eroded by water

baseˈ-levelled adjective

baseˈline noun

1. An accurately measured line used as a base for triangulation
2. Each of the lines at the back of the court (tennis)
3. A line joining bases (baseball)
4. The line on which the type stands, below which the descenders hang (printing)
5. A starting point against which to measure something, a standard of comparison

baseˈliner noun (tennis)

A player who plays mainly from the baseline and rarely approaches the net

baseˈ-load noun (elec eng)

The minimum demand of electricity on a power-station (cf peak load under peak¹)

baseˈman noun (baseball)

Any of the three fielders stationed near first, second and third base (hence first baseman, etc)

base pair noun (biochemistry)

A purine linked to a pyrimidine by hydrogen bonds, forming a link between complementary strands of DNA or RNA

base pairing noun

baseˈplate noun

The foundation plate of a piece of heavy machinery

base rate noun

The rate, determined by a bank, on which it bases its lending rates of interest

base ring noun

A strengthening band of metal round the breech of a muzzle-loading cannon

baseˈrunner noun

A baseball player attempting to perform a circuit of the bases

base station noun (telecommunications)

A radio and mobile phone service provider, relaying calls between systems and users

base substitution noun (biology)

A mutation in which a base in the DNA is replaced by a different base (cf deletion mutation)

base unit noun

A fundamental unit from which other units in a system of measurement are derived

• cyphers
• cy pres
• continental quilt
• continental quilts
• continentals
• continental shelf
• continental shelves
• Continental System
• continently
• continents
• contingence
• contingences
• contingencies
• contingency
• contingency plans
• contingency table
• contingency tables
• contingent
• contingent annuity
• contingently
• contingents
• continua
• continuable
• continual
• continually