| / English Dictionary |
BASE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: bases
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A support or foundation
Example:
the base of the lamp
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
brass monkey (a metal stand that formerly held cannon balls on sailing ships)
staddle (a base or platform on which hay or corn is stacked)
trivet (a stand with short feet used under a hot dish on a table)
trivet (a three-legged metal stand for supporting a cooking vessel in a hearth)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A place that the runner must touch before scoring
Example:
he scrambled to get back to the bag
Synonyms:
bag; base
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
baseball equipment (equipment used in playing baseball)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
first base (the base that must be touched first by a base runner in baseball)
home; home base; home plate; plate ((baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score)
second base (the base that must be touched second by a base runner in baseball)
third; third base (the base that must be touched third by a base runner in baseball)
Holonyms ("base" is a part of...):
baseball diamond; diamond; infield (the area of a baseball field that is enclosed by 3 bases and home plate)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the emitter from the collector
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
electrode (a conductor used to make electrical contact with some part of a circuit)
Domain category:
electronics (the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices)
Holonyms ("base" is a part of...):
electronic transistor; junction transistor; transistor (a semiconductor device capable of amplification)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Installation from which a military force initiates operations
Example:
the attack wiped out our forward bases
Synonyms:
base; base of operations
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
military installation (any facility servicing military forces)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
rocket base (a military base for rocket missiles)
navy base (base of operations for a naval fleet)
firebase (an artillery base to support advancing troops)
army base (a large base of operations for an army)
air base; air station (a base for military aircraft)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A flat bottom on which something is intended to sit
Example:
a tub should sit on its own base
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
bottom; underside; undersurface (the lower side of anything)
Holonyms ("base" is a part of...):
box (a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid)
lamp (a piece of furniture holding one or more electric light bulbs)
vessel (an object used as a container (especially for liquids))
Sense 6
Meaning:
The principal ingredient of a mixture
Example:
everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the base
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
ingredient (a component of a mixture or compound)
Derivation:
base (use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Lowest support of a structure
Example:
he stood at the foot of the tower
Synonyms:
base; foot; foundation; fundament; groundwork; substructure; understructure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
support (supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
bed (a foundation of earth or rock supporting a road or railroad track)
mat; raft; raft foundation (a foundation (usually on soft ground) consisting of an extended layer of reinforced concrete)
Holonyms ("base" is a part of...):
construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)
Derivation:
basal (serving as or forming a base)
Sense 8
Meaning:
The stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area
Example:
the industrial base of Japan
Synonyms:
base; infrastructure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
fund; stock; store (a supply of something available for future use)
Meronyms (parts of "base"):
water; water supply; water system (a facility that provides a source of water)
transit; transportation; transportation system (a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods)
sewage system; sewage works; sewer system (facility consisting of a system of sewers for carrying off liquid and solid sewage)
school system (establishment including the plant and equipment for providing education from kindergarten through high school)
public works (structures (such as highways or schools or bridges or docks) constructed at government expense for public use)
grid; power grid; power system (a system of high tension cables by which electrical power is distributed throughout a region)
penal facility; penal institution (an institution where persons are confined for punishment and to protect the public)
main (a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage)
gas system (facility (plant and equipment) for providing natural-gas service)
fire station; firehouse (a station housing fire apparatus and firemen)
communication equipment; communication system (facility consisting of the physical plants and equipment for disseminating information)
Sense 9
Meaning:
The fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained
Example:
the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture
Synonyms:
base; basis; cornerstone; foundation; fundament; groundwork
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
assumption; supposal; supposition (a hypothesis that is taken for granted)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
meat and potatoes (the fundamental part)
Holonyms ("base" is a part of...):
explanation (thought that makes something comprehensible)
Derivation:
basal (serving as or forming a base)
base (use as a basis for; found on)
Sense 10
Meaning:
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
Example:
thematic vowels are part of the stem
Synonyms:
base; radical; root; root word; stem; theme
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
descriptor; form; signifier; word form (the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something)
Domain category:
linguistics (the scientific study of language)
Sense 11
Meaning:
A lower limit
Example:
the government established a wage floor
Synonyms:
base; floor
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
control (the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
price floor (floor below which prices are not allowed to fall)
wage floor (floor below which wages are not allowed to fall)
Sense 12
Meaning:
A terrorist network intensely opposed to the United States that dispenses money and logistical support and training to a wide variety of radical Islamic terrorist groups; has cells in more than 50 countries
Synonyms:
al-Qa'ida; al-Qaeda; al-Qaida; al Qaeda; al Qaida; Base; Qaeda
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Instance hypernyms:
foreign terrorist organization; FTO; terrorist group; terrorist organization (a political movement that uses terror as a weapon to achieve its goals)
Domain category:
act of terrorism; terrorism; terrorist act (the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear)
Domain region:
Afghanistan; Islamic State of Afghanistan (a mountainous landlocked country in central Asia; bordered by Iran to the west and Russia to the north and Pakistan to the east and south)
Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Pakistan; West Pakistan (a Muslim republic that occupies the heartland of ancient south Asian civilization in the Indus River valley; formerly part of India; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947)
Sense 13
Meaning:
The place where you are stationed and from which missions start and end
Synonyms:
base; home
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
location (a point or extent in space)
Sense 14
Meaning:
(anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment
Example:
the base of the skull
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
bottom (the lowest part of anything)
Domain category:
anatomy; general anatomy (the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals)
Derivation:
basal (especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem)
basilary (of or relating to or located at the base)
Sense 15
Meaning:
The bottom or lowest part
Example:
the base of the mountain
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
part; piece (a portion of a natural object)
Derivation:
basilar (of or relating to or located at the base)
Sense 16
Meaning:
(numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place
Example:
10 is the radix of the decimal system
Synonyms:
base; radix
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
number (a concept of quantity involving zero and units)
Domain category:
number representation system; number system; numeration system; system of numeration (any notation for the representation of numbers)
Sense 17
Meaning:
The most important or necessary part of something
Example:
the basis of this drink is orange juice
Synonyms:
base; basis
Classified under:
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
component; component part; constituent; part; portion (something determined in relation to something that includes it)
Sense 18
Meaning:
The bottom side of a geometric figure from which the altitude can be constructed
Example:
the base of the triangle
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
flank (a subfigure consisting of a side of something)
Sense 19
Meaning:
Any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
Example:
bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia
Synonyms:
alkali; base
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
pyridine (a toxic colorless flammable liquid organic base with a disagreeable odor; usually derived from coal)
purine (a colorless crystalline organic base containing nitrogen; the parent compound of various biologically important substances)
purine (any of several bases that are derivatives of purine)
glyoxaline; imidazole; iminazole (an organic base C3H4N2; a histamine inhibitor)
cyanuramide; melamine (a white crystalline organic base; used mainly in making melamine resins)
pyrimidine (any of several basic compounds derived from pyrimidine)
Derivation:
base (use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes)
basify (turn basic and less acidic)
Sense 20
Meaning:
A phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
Synonyms:
base; nucleotide
Classified under:
Nouns denoting substances
Hypernyms ("base" is a kind of...):
ester (organic compound formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "base"):
U; uracil (a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine)
oligo; oligonucleotide ((biochemistry) a polynucleotide whose molecules contain relatively few nucleotides)
polynucleotide ((biochemistry) a linear polymer whose molecule is composed of many nucleotide units constituting a section of a nucleic acid molecule)
muton (the smallest unit of DNA where a mutation can occur)
deoxythymidine monophosphate; T; deoxyguanosine monophosphate; G; C; deoxycytidine monophosphate; A; deoxyadenosine monophosphate (one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose))
adenosine triphosphate; ATP (a nucleotide derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue; the major source of energy for cellular reactions)
adenosine diphosphate; ADP (an ester of adenosine that is converted to ATP for energy storage)
adenosine monophosphate; adenylic acid; AMP (a nucleotide found in muscle cells and important in metabolism; reversibly convertible to ADP and ATP)
base pair (one of the pairs of chemical bases joined by hydrogen bonds that connect the complementary strands of a DNA molecule or of an RNA molecule that has two strands; the base pairs are adenine with thymine and guanine with cytosine in DNA and adenine with uracil and guanine with cytosine in RNA)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Debased; not genuine
Example:
an attempt to eliminate the base coinage
Classified under:
Similar:
counterfeit; imitative (not genuine; imitating something superior)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Illegitimate
Synonyms:
base; baseborn
Classified under:
Similar:
illegitimate (of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful)
Domain usage:
archaicism; archaism (the use of an archaic expression)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality
Example:
something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics
Synonyms:
base; mean; meanspirited
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
ignoble (completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose)
Derivation:
baseness (unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Of low birth or station ('base' is archaic in this sense)
Example:
of humble (or lowly) birth
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
lowborn (of humble birth or origins)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Serving as or forming a base
Example:
the painter applied a base coat followed by two finishing coats
Synonyms:
basal; base
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
basic (pertaining to or constituting a base or basis)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Not adhering to ethical or moral principles
Example:
unethical practices in handling public funds
Synonyms:
base; immoral
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
wrong (contrary to conscience or morality or law)
Derivation:
baseness (unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values)
Sense 7
Meaning:
(used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior metal
Example:
a base metal
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
inferior (of low or inferior quality)
III. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they base ... he / she / it bases
Past simple: based
Past participle: based
-ing form: basing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Use as a basis for; found on
Example:
base a claim on some observation
Synonyms:
base; establish; found; ground
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "base"):
build (found or ground)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something PP
Derivation:
base (the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes
Synonyms:
base; free-base
Classified under:
Hypernyms (to "base" is one way to...):
do drugs; drug (use recreational drugs)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
base (the principal ingredient of a mixture)
base (any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Situate as a center of operations
Example:
we will base this project in the new lab
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "base" is one way to...):
locate; situate (determine or indicate the place, site, or limits of, as if by an instrument or by a survey)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Context examples:
A chemistry-based discipline, also involving aspects of biological, medical and pharmaceutical sciences.
(Medicinal Chemistry, NCI Thesaurus)
A phonetic algorithm for indexing words based on the way they sound.
(Metaphone, NCI Thesaurus)
In alternative medicine, a theory that people fall into one of three groups (protein, carbohydrate, or mixed type) based on the main type of food that their bodies need to stay healthy.
(Metabolic type, NCI Dictionary)
Distinguishing toxic from nontoxic mushroom species is based on first correctly identifying the mushroom and then referencing a mushroom field guide to determine if it is known to contain toxins or not.
(New Test Identifies Poisonous Mushrooms, Agricultural Research Service)
They drew on 55,502 (26,400 men and 29,100 women) participants, aged between 50 and 64, from the population-based Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study.
(Eat Chocolate for Steady Heartbea, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
A finding based on laboratory test results that indicate abnormal levels of prolactin hormone in a blood specimen.
(Abnormal Blood Prolactin, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)
Predictive of abnormal acid-base status at time of observation.
(Abnormal Continuous Cardiotocography Pattern, NCI Thesaurus)
A finding based on laboratory test results that indicate abnormal levels of gonadotrophin hormone in a blood specimen.
(Abnormal Blood Gonadotrophin, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)
This nuclear enzyme initiates repair of the mutagenic adenine/8-oxo-guanine mismatched base pair via removal of adenine from the DNA backbone.
(A/G-Specific Adenine DNA Glycosylase, NCI Thesaurus)
Base pairs are tilted to helix axis and displaced from axis and sugar pucker is C3'-endo (in RNA 2'-OH inhibits C2'-endo conformation).
(A-DNA, NCI Thesaurus)
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