I. ˈbāsə̇s noun
( plural ba·ses -āˌsēz)
Etymology: Latin — more at base
1.
a. : the bottom of anything considered as a foundation for the parts above : base , foot
b. obsolete : the pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue
if no basis bear my rising name — Alexander Pope
c. : any of certain anatomical structures that function as bases: as
(1) : the membranous or calcareous base by which a barnacle is attached to the substrate
(2) : basipodite
(3) : the articulated proximal part of the capitulum of a tick — called also basis capituli
2. : the principal component of anything : fundamental ingredient : base
a combination of fruit or fruit juices and sugar is the fundamental basis of jelly
3. : something that supports or sustains anything immaterial : essence
his argument rested on a basis of conjecture
4.
a. : something on which anything is constructed or established
Indian trails … were the basis for many of their roads — American Guide Series: North Carolina
: the basic principle : groundwork
the frustrating task of putting international affairs on a permanent basis of law and order — A.E.Stevenson †1965
b. : footing 6
a club where everyone was on a first-name basis — J.P.Marquand
5.
a. : a rhythmic unit constituted by a given proportion of arsis to thesis without reference to the order or placement of long and short elements
trochaic and iambic feet represent the same basis
b. : a free first foot in some ancient verse that admits more variation from the norm of the line than appears in subsequent feet
6. : a glassy or felsitic noncrystalline granular material that is a last product of solidification of a volcanic rock and that forms a cement for earlier minerals
7.
a. : the price difference between a specified grade of a commodity and a designated futures delivery
b. : the actual yield on an investment in bonds
c. : the original cost of property used in computing capital gains or losses for income tax purposes
II. ˈbäˌsēz
plural of basi
III. noun
: a set of linearly independent vectors in a vector space such that any vector in the vector space can be expressed as a linear combination of them with appropriately chosen coefficients