Base Meaning
/beɪs/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSomething from which other things extend; a foundation.
nounSomething from which other things extend; a foundation., A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
Sentence Examples
What do you base your theory on?
On base and off, buckle your seat-belts.
The lamp has a heavy base.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The recipe requires a tomato ____ for the sauce to taste authentic.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The large lamp has a heavy metal ____ to keep it from falling over.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor. Latin basis Old French basebor. Middle English base English base From Middle English base, bas, baas, from Old French base, from Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis). Doublet of basis and bass.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"The shield was silver, charged with a red cross voided (that is, with the centre cut out and only the edges left), between in chief (that is, above the horizontal limb of the cross) two black dragon's wings, and in base two red daggers, and in the centre of the cross a black winged helmet; on a red chief (a broad band across the top of the shield), a silver pale (a broad vertical band), and thereon eight black arrows crossed X-wise, four and four, and encircled with a black band, between on the dexter three bendlets (narrow bands slanting from dexter chief to sinister base) enhanced (that is, raised above the centre), and on the sinister a fleur-de-lis, all of gold."
— 1956 July, Col. H. C. B. Rogers, “Railway Heraldry”, in Railway Magazine, page 479:
"The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar."
— 1709, J[ohn] Dryden, J[ohn] Oldham, “(please specify the page)”, in Mac Flecknoe: A Poem. […] With Spencer’s Ghost: Being a Satyr Concerning Poetry. […], London: […] H[enry] Hills, […], →OCLC:
"[…] with flowers of gold, the body lined with velvet, and the bases, or skirts, with satin; also a frock of black satin, lined with sarcenet, having three welts of the same."
— 1842, Joseph Strutt, A Complete View of the Dress and Habits of the People of England, page 246:
"The base (skirt), as opposed to the practical skirt of the tonlet armour, is an affectation in imitation of the civilian fabric garment of the period and may well have been inspired by a similar feature on Maximilian's gift armour."
— 1977, Armours of Henry VIII:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The recipe requires a tomato ____ for the sauce to taste authentic.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The large lamp has a heavy metal ____ to keep it from falling over.