BASE


Meaning of BASE in English

base 1

/bays/ , n., adj., v., based, basing .

n.

1. the bottom support of anything; that on which a thing stands or rests: a metal base for the table.

2. a fundamental principle or groundwork; foundation; basis: the base of needed reforms.

3. the bottom layer or coating, as of makeup or paint.

4. Archit.

a. the distinctively treated portion of a column or pier below the shaft or shafts. See diag. under column .

b. the distinctively treated lowermost portion of any construction, as a monument, exterior wall, etc.

5. Bot. , Zool.

a. the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment.

b. the point of attachment.

6. the principal element or ingredient of anything, considered as its fundamental part: face cream with a lanolin base; paint with a lead base.

7. that from which a commencement, as of action or reckoning, is made; a starting point or point of departure.

8. Baseball.

a. any of the four corners of the diamond, esp. first, second, or third base. Cf. home plate .

b. a square canvas sack containing sawdust or some other light material, for marking first, second, or third base.

9. a starting line or point for runners, racing cars, etc.

10. (in hockey and other games) the goal.

11. Mil.

a. a fortified or more or less protected area or place from which the operations of an army or an air force proceed.

b. a supply installation for a large military force.

12. Geom. the line or surface forming the part of a figure that is most nearly horizontal or on which it is supposed to stand.

13. Math.

a. the number that serves as a starting point for a logarithmic or other numerical system.

b. a collection of subsets of a topological space having the property that every open set in the given topology can be written as the union of sets of the collection.

c. a collection of neighborhoods of a point such that every neighborhood of the point contains one from the collection.

d. a collection of sets of a given filter such that every set in the filter is contained in some set in the collection.

14. Also called base line . Survey. See under triangulation (def. 1).

15. Painting.

a. vehicle (def. 10).

b. Also called carrier . inert matter, used in the preparation of lakes, onto which a coloring compound is precipitated.

16. Photog. a thin, flexible layer of cellulose triacetate or similar material that holds the light-sensitive film emulsion and other coatings, esp. on motion-picture film.

17. Chem.

a. a compound that reacts with an acid to form a salt, as ammonia, calcium hydroxide, or certain nitrogen-containing organic compounds.

b. the hydroxide of a metal or of an electropositive element or group.

c. a group or molecule that takes up or accepts protons.

d. a molecule or ion containing an atom with a free pair of electrons that can be donated to an acid; an electron-pair donor.

e. any of the purine and pyrimidine compounds found in nucleic acids: the purines adenine and guanine and the pyrimidines cytosine, thymine, and uracil.

18. Gram. the part of a complex word, consisting of one or more morphemes, to which derivational or inflectional affixes may be added, as want in unwanted or biolog- in biological. Cf. root 1 (def. 11), stem 1 (def. 16).

19. Ling. the component of a generative grammar containing the lexicon and phrase-structure rules that generate the deep structure of sentences.

20. Electronics.

a. an electrode or terminal on a transistor other than the emitter or collector electrodes or terminals.

b. the part of an incandescent lamp or electron tube that includes the terminals for making electrical connection to a circuit or power supply.

21. Stock Exchange. the level at which a security ceases a decline in price.

22. Heraldry. the lower part of an escutcheon.

23. bases , Armor. a tonlet formed of two shaped steel plates assembled side by side.

24. Jewelry. pavilion (def. 6).

25. get to first base . See first base (def. 2).

26. in base , Heraldry. in the lower part of an escutcheon.

27. off base ,

a. Baseball. not touching a base: The pitcher caught him off base and, after a quick throw, he was put out by the second baseman.

b. Informal. badly mistaken: The police were way off base when they tried to accuse her of the theft.

28. on base , Baseball. having reached a base or bases: Two men are on base.

29. touch base with , to make contact with: They've touched base with every political group on campus.

adj.

30. serving as or forming a base: The walls will need a base coat and two finishing coats.

v.t.

31. to make or form a base or foundation for.

32. to establish, as a fact or conclusion (usually fol. by on or upon ): He based his assumption of her guilt on the fact that she had no alibi.

33. to place or establish on a base or basis; ground; found (usually fol. by on or upon ): Our plan is based on a rising economy.

34. to station, place, or situate (usually fol. by at or on ): He is based at Fort Benning. The squadron is based on a carrier.

v.i.

35. to have a basis; be based (usually fol. by on or upon ): Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.

36. to have or maintain a base: I believe they had based on Greenland at one time.

[ 1275-1325; ME (n.) basis BASIS; cf. PRISONER'S BASE ]

Syn. 1. BASE, BASIS, FOUNDATION refer to anything upon which a structure is built and upon which it rests. BASE usually refers to a literal supporting structure: the base of a statue. BASIS more often refers to a figurative support: the basis of a report. FOUNDATION implies a solid, secure understructure: the foundation of a skyscraper or a rumor.

base 2

— basely , adv. — baseness , n.

/bays/ , adj., baser, basest , n.

adj.

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

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

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

4. characteristic of or befitting an inferior person or thing.

5. of illegitimate birth.

6. not classical or refined: base language.

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

8. Archaic.

a. of humble origin or station.

b. of small height.

c. low in place, position, or degree: base servitude.

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

n.

10. Music. Obs. bass 1 (defs. 3, 4).

[ 1350-1400; ME bas bassus low, short, perh. of Oscan orig. ]

Syn. 1. despicable, contemptible. See mean 2 . 2. poor, inferior, cheap, tawdry. 3. fake, spurious. 4. servile, ignoble, abject, slavish, menial.

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .