base

[ beys ]

/ beɪs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR base ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, bas·er, bas·est.

morally low; without estimable personal qualities; dishonorable; meanspirited; selfish; cowardly.

of little or no value; worthless: hastily composed of base materials.

debased or counterfeit: an attempt to eliminate the base coinage.

characteristic of or befitting an inferior person or thing.

of illegitimate birth.

not classical or refined: base language.

Old English Law. held by tenure less than freehold in return for a service viewed as somewhat demeaning to the tenant.

Archaic.

of humble origin or station.
of small height.
low in place, position, or degree: base servitude.

Obsolete. deep or grave in sound; bass: the base tones of a piano.

noun

Music Obsolete. bass¹(defs 3, 4).

Origin of base

1350–1400; Middle English bas < Old French < Late Latin bassus low, short, perhaps of Oscan orig.

SYNONYMS FOR base

1 despicable, contemptible. See mean².

2 poor, inferior, cheap, tawdry.

3 fake, spurious.

4 servile, ignoble, abject, slavish, menial.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR base ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM base

base·ly, adverb base·ness, noun

Words nearby base

basalt, basaltware, basanite, bascinet, bascule, base, base box, base bullion, base camp, base community, base component

Example sentences from the Web for basely

She must not let herself be prisoned by a mere body that exulted blindly, basely, in its vigor.

Ewing\'s Lady |Harry Leon Wilson
How far is this thing going to be done finely; how far is it going to be done cunningly and basely?

What is Coming? |H. G. Wells
The terms of her accusation were too basely depraved to be even hinted at here.

Fox's Book of Martyrs |John Foxe
You have basely deceived me, and shame upon me that I have been fooled by such as you are!

Runnymede and Lincoln Fair |J.G. Edgar

I trust I have none who will ever misuse so basely anything that may come to them as a blessing.

Extracts from the Diary and Correspondence of the Late Amos Lawrence; with a brief account of some incidents of his life |Amos Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for basely (1 of 2)

base ¹

/ (beɪs) /

noun

the bottom or supporting part of anything

the fundamental or underlying principle or part, as of an idea, system, or organization; basis

a centre of operations, organization, or supplythe climbers made a base at 8000 feet
(as modifier)base camp

a centre from which military activities are coordinated

anything from which a process, as of measurement, action, or thought, is or may be begun; starting point the new discovery became the base for further research

the main ingredient of a mixture to use rice as a base in cookery

a chemical compound that combines with an acid to form a salt and water. A solution of a base in water turns litmus paper blue, produces hydroxyl ions, and has a pH greater than 7. Bases are metal oxides or hydroxides or amines See also Lewis base

biochem any of the nitrogen-containing constituents of nucleic acids: adenine, thymine (in DNA), uracil (in RNA), guanine, or cytosine

a medium such as oil or water in which the pigment is dispersed in paints, inks, etc; vehicle

the inorganic material on which the dye is absorbed in lake pigments; carrier

biology

the part of an organ nearest to its point of attachment
the point of attachment of an organ or part

the bottommost layer or part of anything

architect

the lowest division of a building or structure
the lower part of a column or pier

another word for baseline (def. 2)

the lower side or face of a geometric construction

maths

the number of distinct single-digit numbers in a counting system, and so the number represented as 10 in a place-value systemthe binary system has two digits, 0 and 1, and 10 to base two represents 2 See place-value
(of a logarithm or exponential) the number whose powers are expressedsince 1000 = 10³, the logarithm of 1000 to base 10 is 3
(of a mathematical structure) a substructure from which the given system can be generated
the initial instance from which a generalization is proven by mathematical induction

Also called: base clause logic maths the initial element of a recursive definition, that defines the first element of the infinite sequence generated thereby

linguistics

a root or stem
See base component

electronics the region in a transistor between the emitter and collector

photog the glass, paper, or cellulose-ester film that supports the sensitized emulsion with which it is coated

heraldry the lower part of the shield

jewellery the quality factor used in pricing natural pearls

a starting or finishing point in any of various games

baseball any of the four corners of the diamond, which runners have to reach in order to score

the main source of a certain commodity or element a customer base; their fan base

get to first base US and Canadian informal to accomplish the first stage in a project or a series of objectives

off base US and Canadian informal wrong or badly mistaken

touch base to make contact

verb

(tr foll by on or upon) to use as a basis (for); found (on) your criticisms are based on ignorance

(often foll by at or in) to station, post, or place (a person or oneself)

Word Origin for base

C14: from Old French, from Latin basis pedestal; see basis

British Dictionary definitions for basely (2 of 2)

base ²

/ (beɪs) /

adjective

devoid of honour or morality; ignoble; contemptible

of inferior quality or value

debased; alloyed; counterfeit base currency

English history

(of land tenure) held by villein or other ignoble service
holding land by villein or other ignoble service

archaic born of humble parents; plebeian

archaic illegitimate

adjective, noun

music an obsolete spelling of bass 1

Derived forms of base

basely, adverb baseness, noun

Word Origin for base

C14: from Old French bas, from Late Latin bassus of low height, perhaps from Greek bassōn deeper

Medical definitions for basely

base

[ bās ]

n.

The part of an organ nearest its point of attachment.

A fundamental ingredient; a chief constituent of a mixture.

Any of a large class of compounds, including the hydroxides and oxides of metals, having a bitter taste, a slippery solution, the capacity to turn litmus blue, and to react with acids to form salts.

A molecular or ionic substance capable of combining with a proton to form a new substance. Brønsted base

A nitrogen-containing organic compound that combines in such a manner.

A substance that provides a pair of electrons for a covalent bond with an acid.

Scientific definitions for basely

base

[ bās ]

Chemistry

Any of a class of compounds that form hydroxyl ions (OH) when dissolved in water, and whose aqueous solutions react with acids to form salts. Bases turn red litmus paper blue and have a pH greater than 7. Their aqueous solutions have a bitter taste. Compare acid.
See nitrogen base.

Mathematics

The side or face of a geometric figure to which an altitude is or is thought to be drawn. The base can be, but is not always, the bottom part of the figure.
The number that is raised to various powers to generate the principal counting units of a number system. The base of the decimal system, for example, is 10.
The number that is raised to a particular power in a given mathematical expression. In the expression an, a is the base.

Cultural definitions for basely

base

Any of a number of bitter-tasting, caustic materials. Technically, a material that produces negative ions in solution. A base is the opposite of an acid and has a pH of 7 to 14. A given amount of a base added to the same amount of an acid neutralizes the acid; water and a salt are produced. Alkalis are bases; ammonia is a common base.

Idioms and Phrases with basely

base

see get to first base; off base; touch base.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

base

adjective, bas·er, bas·est.

noun

Origin of base

SYNONYMS FOR base

OTHER WORDS FROM base

Words nearby base

Example sentences from the Web for basely

British Dictionary definitions for basely (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Word Origin for base

British Dictionary definitions for basely (2 of 2)

adjective

adjective, noun

Derived forms of base

Word Origin for base

Medical definitions for basely

n.

Scientific definitions for basely

Cultural definitions for basely

Idioms and Phrases with basely

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

base

adjective, bas·er, bas·est.

noun

Origin of base

SYNONYMS FOR base

OTHER WORDS FROM base

Words nearby base

Words related to basely

Example sentences from the Web for basely

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for basely (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Word Origin for base

British Dictionary definitions for basely (2 of 2)

adjective

adjective, noun

Derived forms of base

Word Origin for base

Medical definitions for basely

n.

Scientific definitions for basely

Cultural definitions for basely

Idioms and Phrases with basely

British Dictionary definitions for basely (1 of 2)