Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Base
Base
(bās)
, Adj.
[OE.
bass
, F. bas
, low, fr. LL. bassus
thick, fat, short, humble; cf. L. Bassus
, a proper name, and W. bas
shallow. Cf. Bass
a part in music.] 1.
Of little, or less than the usual, height; of low growth;
as,
. base
shrubs[Archaic]
Shak.
2.
Low in place or position.
[Obs.]
Shak.
3.
Of humble birth; or low degree; lowly; mean.
[Archaic]
“A peasant and base swain.” Bacon.
4.
Illegitimate by birth; bastard.
[Archaic]
Why bastard? wherefore
base
? Shakespeare
5.
Of little comparative value, as metal inferior to gold and silver, the precious metals.
6.
Alloyed with inferior metal; debased;
as,
. base
coin; base
bullion7.
Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial;
“A cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind.” as, a
. base
fellow; base
motives; base
occupationsRobynson (More’s Utopia).
“Base ingratitude.” Milton.
8.
Not classical or correct.
“Base Latin.” Fuller.
9.
Deep or grave in sound;
as, the
. base
tone of a violin[In this sense, commonly written
bass.
] 10.
(Law)
Not held by honorable service;
as, a
. base
estate, one held by services not honorable; held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base
, or low, and the tenant, a base
tenantBase fee
, formerly, an estate held at the will of the lord; now, a qualified fee. See note under , 4.
– Fee
, Noun.
Base metal
. See under
Metal
.
Syn. – Dishonorable; worthless; ignoble; low-minded; infamous; sordid; degraded.
–
Base
, Vile
, Mean
. These words, as expressing moral qualities, are here arranged in the order of their strength, the strongest being placed first. Base marks a high degree of moral turpitude; vile and mean denote, in different degrees, the lack of what is valuable or worthy of esteem. What is base excites our abhorrence; what is vile provokes our disgust or indignation; what is mean awakens contempt. Base is opposed to high-minded; vile, to noble; mean, to liberal or generous. Ingratitude is base; sycophancy is vile; undue compliances are mean. Base
,Noun.
1.
The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for support; the foundation;
“The base of mighty mountains.” as, the
. base
of a statuePrescott.
2.
Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential principle; a groundwork.
3.
(Arch.)
(a)
The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially ornamented.
(b)
The lower part of a complete architectural design, as of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate piece of furniture or decoration.
4.
(Bot.)
That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support.
5.
(Chem.)
The positive, or non-acid component of a salt; a substance which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt; – applied also to the hydroxides of the positive elements or radicals, and to certain organic bodies resembling them in their property of forming salts with acids.
6.
(Pharmacy)
The chief ingredient in a compound.
7.
(Dyeing)
A substance used as a mordant.
Ure.
8.
(Fort.)
The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions.
9.
(Geom.)
The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand.
10.
(Math.)
The number from which a mathematical table is constructed;
as, the
. base
of a system of logarithms11.
[See
Base
low.] A low, or deep, sound.
(Mus.)
(a)
The lowest part; the deepest male voice. (b)
One who sings, or the instrument which plays, base. [Now commonly written
bass
.] The trebles squeak for fear, the
bases
roar. Dryden.
12.
(Mil.)
A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications, or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.
13.
(Mil.)
The smallest kind of cannon.
[Obs.]
14.
(Zool.)
That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ.
15.
(Crystallog.)
The basal plane of a crystal.
16.
(Geol.)
The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline.
18.
The housing of a horse.
[Obs.]
19.
pl.
A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mailed armor) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
[Obs.]
20.
The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
[Obs.]
21.
An apron.
[Obs.]
“Bakers in their linen bases.” Marston.
22.
The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or a goal in various games.
To their appointed
base
they went. Dryden.
23.
(Surv.)
A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
Lyman.
24.
A rustic play; – called also
“To run the country base.” prisoner's base
, prison base
, or bars
. Shak.
25.
(Baseball)
Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of the infield.
Altern base
. See under
– Altern
. Attic base
. (Arch.)
See under
– Attic
. Base course
. (Arch.)
(a)
The first or lower course of a foundation wall, made of large stones or a mass of concrete; – called also
– foundation course
. (b)
The architectural member forming the transition between the basement and the wall above. Base hit
(Baseball)
, a hit, by which the batsman, without any error on the part of his opponents, is able to reach the first base without being put out.
– Base line
. (a)
A main line taken as a base, as in surveying or in military operations.
(b)
A line traced round a cannon at the rear of the vent.
– Base plate
, the foundation plate of heavy machinery, as of the steam engine; the bed plate.
– Base ring
(Ordnance)
, a projecting band of metal around the breech, connected with the body of the gun by a concave molding.
H. L. Scott.
Base
(bās)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Based
(bāsd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Basing
.] [From ]
Base
, Noun.
To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to found, as an argument or conclusion; – used with
on
or upon
. Bacon.
Webster 1828 Edition
Base
BASE
, a.1.
Low in place. Obs.2.
Mean; vile; worthless; that is, low in value or estimation; used of things.3.
Of low station; of mean account; without rank, dignity or estimation among men; used of persons. The base shall behave proudly against the honorable. Is.iii.
4.
Of mean spirit; disingenuous; illiberal; low; without dignity of sentiment; as a base and abject multitude.5.
Of little comparative value; applied to metals, and perhaps to all metals, except gold and silver.6.
Deep; grave; applied to sounds; as the base sounds of a viol.7.
Of illegitimate birth; born out of wedlock.8.
Not held by honorable tenure. A base estate is an estate held by services not honorable,not in capite, or by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant, a base tenant. So writers on the laws of England use the terms, a base fee, a base court.48
Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant, a base tenant. So writers on the laws of England use the terms, a base fee, a base court.
BASE
,Noun.
1.
The bottom of any thing, considered as its support or the part of a thing on which it stands or rests; as the base of a column, the pedestal of a statue, the foundation of a house,&c.In architecture, the base of a pillar properly is that part which is between the top of a pedestal and the bottom of the shaft; but when there is no pedestal, it is the part between the bottom of the column and the plinth. Usually it consists of certain spires or circles. The pedestal also has its base.
2.
In fortification, the exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which is drawn from the flanked angle of a bastion to the angle opposite to it.3.
In gunnery, the least sort of ordnance, the diameter of whose bore is l 1/4 inch.4.
The part of any ornament which hangs down, as housings.5.
The broad part of any thing, as the bottom of a cone.6.
In old authors, stockings; armor for the legs.7.
The place from which racers or tilters start; the bottom of the field; the carcer or starting post.8.
The lowest or gravest part in music; improperly written bass.9.
A rustic play, called also bays, or prison bars. 10. In geometry, the lowest side of the perimeter of a figure. Any side of a triangle may be called its base, but this term most properly belongs to the side which is parallel to the horizon. In rectangled triangles, the base, properly, is the side opposite to the right angle. The base of a solid figure is that on which it stands. The base of a conic section is a right line in the hyperbola and parabola, arising from the common intersection of the secant plane and the base of the cone.
11. In chimistry, any body which is dissolved by another body, which it receives and fixes. Thus any alkaline, earthy or metallic substance, combining with an acid, forms a compound or neutral salt, of which it is the base. Such salts are called salts with alkaline, earthy or metallic bases.
12. Thorough base, in music, is the part performed with base viols or theorbos, while the voices sing and other instruments perform their parts, or during the intervals when the other parts stop. It is distinguished by figures over the notes.
Counter base is a second or double base, when there are several in the same concert.
BASE
,Verb.
T.
2.
To found; to lay the base or foundation. To base and build the commonwealth of man.