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   base

   /bās/

   noun

   • 1. the lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported: "she sat down at the base of a tree" Similar foundationbottomfootsupportpropstaystandpedestalplinthrestbedsubstructureOpposite top
   • ▪ the part of a column between the shaft and pedestal or pavement.
   • ▪ the end at which a part or organ is attached to the trunk or main part: "a shoot is produced at the base of the stem"
   • ▪ a line or surface on which a figure is regarded as standing: "the base of the triangle"
   • ▪ a line of known length used in triangulation.
   • ▪ the lowest part of a shield.
   • 2. a conceptual structure or entity on which something draws or depends: "the town's economic base collapsed"
   • ▪ something used as a foundation or starting point for further work; a basis: "uses existing data as the base for the study" Similar basisbedrockfoundationcoreessenceessentialnitty-grittybasicsstarting pointkey componentfundamentalroot(s)heartbackbonetheoryprinciplerationalesourceoriginspringwell headfountainheadfount
   • ▪ a group of people regarded as supporting an organization, for example by buying its products: "a client base"
   • 3. a place used as a center of operations by the armed forces or others; a headquarters: "the corporal headed back to base" Similar headquarterscenterstarting pointcampsitestationsettlementpost
   • ▪ the main place where a person works or stays: "she makes the studio her base"
   • 4. a main or important element or ingredient to which other things are added: "soaps with a vegetable oil base" Similar mediumvehiclecarrier
   • ▪ a substance such as water or oil into which a pigment is mixed to form paint.
   • ▪ a substance used as a foundation for makeup: "her makeup artist works with base, eye makeup, and lipstick"
   • 5. a substance capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt and water, or (more broadly) of accepting or neutralizing hydrogen ions.
   • ▪ a purine or pyrimidine group in a nucleotide or nucleic acid.
   • 6. the middle part of a bipolar transistor, separating the emitter from the collector.
   • 7. the root or stem of a word or a derivative.
   • ▪ the uninflected form of a verb.
   • 8. a number used as the basis of a numeration scale.
   • ▪ a number in terms of which other numbers are expressed as logarithms.
   • 9. one of the four stations that must be reached in turn to score a run.
   • ▪ used to refer to progressive levels of sexual intimacy: informal "she and her boyfriend got to second base"

   verb

   • 1. have as the foundation for (something); use as a point from which (something) can develop: "the film is based on a novel by Pat Conroy" Similar foundbuildconstructformestablishgroundrootuse as a basisresthingeemanate fromderive fromspring fromstem fromoriginate inhave its origin incan be traced back to
   • 2. situate as the center of operations: "a London-based band" Similar locatestationsituatepostpositionplaceinstalldeploysiteestablishgarrison

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French, from Latin basis ‘base, pedestal’, from Greek.

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • B

     3

   • A

     1

   • S

     1

   • E

     1

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