ˈbāsmənt noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: probably from base (I) + -ment
1. : the architectural member that serves as a pedestal or substructure for the main order ; specifically : the ground floor facade in Renaissance architecture
2.
a. : the part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level ; especially : such a room having overlaid or hard-surface flooring and housing a furnace — compare cellar
b. : the interior at ground level in a basement house or in a building having a basement facade
3. : the lowest or fundamental part of anything
the basement of the fountain — Charles Dickens
4.
a. : basement complex
b. : a compact firm rock underlying less firmly consolidated earth materials
atolls can grow on various types of basements — F.P.Shepard
5. chiefly New England : an indoor school toilet or washroom
the boy's basement