base
adj 1: serving as or forming a base; "the painter applied a base
coat followed by two finishing coats" [syn: {basal}]
2: of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense);
"baseborn wretches with dirty faces"; "of humble (or
lowly) birth" [syn: {baseborn}, {humble}, {lowly}]
3: (used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior
metal; "base coins of aluminum"; "a base metal"
4: not adhering to ethical or moral principles; "base and
unpatriotic motives"; "a base, degrading way of life";
"cheating is dishonorable"; "they considered colonialism
immoral"; "unethical practices in handling public funds"
[syn: {dishonorable}, {dishonourable}, {immoral}, {unethical}]
5: having or showing a meanspirited lack of honor or morality;
"that liberal obedience without which your army would be a
base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage";
"chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare;
"something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in
politics" [syn: {mean}, {meanspirited}]
6: (archaic) illegitimate [syn: {baseborn}]
7: debased; not genuine; "an attempt to eliminate the base
coinage"
n 1: installation from which a military force initiates
operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases"
[syn: {base of operations}]
2: lowest supporting part of a structure; "it was built on a
base of solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower"
[syn: {foundation}, {fundament}, {foot}, {groundwork}, {substructure},
{understructure}]
3: place that runner must touch before scoring; "he scrambled
to get back to the bag" [syn: {bag}]
4: the bottom or lowest part; "the base of the mountain"
5: (anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of
attachment: "the base of the skull"
6: a lower limit: "the government established a wage floor"
[syn: {floor}]
7: the fundamental assumptions underlying an explanation; "the
whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture" [syn: {basis},
{foundation}, {fundament}, {groundwork}, {cornerstone}]
8: a support or foundation; "the base of the lamp" [syn: {pedestal},
{stand}]
9: any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning
litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and
water; "bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and
ammonia" [syn: {alkali}]
10: the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the
altitude can be constructed; "the base of the triangle"
11: (in a digital numeration system) the positive integer that
is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place;
"10 is the radix of the decimal system" [syn: {radix}]
12: the place where you are stationed and from which missions
start and end [syn: {home}]
13: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are
removed; "thematic vowels are part of the stem" [syn: {root},
{root word}, {stem}, {theme}, {radical}]
14: the basic facilities and equipment needed for the
functioning of a country or area; "the industrial base of
Japan" [syn: {infrastructure}]
15: the principal ingredient of a mixture; "glycerinated gelatin
is used as a base for many ointments"; "he told the
painter that he wanted a yellow base with just a hint of
green"; "everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the
base"
16: a flat bottom on which something is intended to sit; "a tub
should sit on its own base"
17: (electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the
emitter from the collector
v 1: use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some
observation" [syn: {establish}, {ground}, {found}]
2: use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes
[syn: {free-base}]
3: assign to a station [syn: {station}, {post}, {send}, {place}]