Base line

a basic standard or level; guideline:
to establish a baseline for future studies.
Typography. the imaginary line on which the bottoms of primary letters align.
Surveying, See under triangulation (def 1).
basic or essential.
a metal base for the table.
a fundamental principle or groundwork; foundation; basis:
the base of needed reforms.
the bottom layer or coating, as of makeup or paint.


Botany, Zoology.

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


Compare home plate.

(in hockey and other games) the goal.

a supply installation for a large military force.



Also called base line. Surveying, See under triangulation (def 1).

vehicle (def 10).


a group or molecule that takes up or accepts protons.

Compare root1 (def 12), stem1 (def 16).


Stock Exchange. the level at which a security ceases a decline in price.
Heraldry. the lower part of an escutcheon.
bases, Armor. a tonlet formed of two shaped steel plates assembled side by side.
Jewelry. pavilion (def 6).
in base, Heraldry. in the lower part of an escutcheon.
serving as or forming a base:
The walls will need a base coat and two finishing coats.
to make or form a base or foundation for.
Our plan is based on a rising economy.
Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public’s demand.
to have or maintain a base:
I believe they had based on Greenland at one time.
get to first base. first base (def 2).
off base,

Baseball. not touching a base:
Informal. badly mistaken:

on base, Baseball. having reached a base or bases:
Two men are on base.
touch base with, to make contact with:
They’ve touched base with every political group on campus.
the triangles thus formed and measured.
Historical Examples

Down along the first base line came a sizzling grounder just inside the base.
Frank Armstrong at College Matthew M. Colton

In setting the third row of stakes, use the second as a base line, and so on.
The Pecan and its Culture H. Harold Hume

The distance between the eyes forms a base line for optical triangulation.
Canyons of the Colorado J. W. Powell

He rolls the ball from the base line into one of the holes or caps.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Jessie H. Bancroft

A base line permanently fixed on the ship is the one side of a triangle required.
Steam Steel and Electricity James W. Steele

The base line was completed on the 19th, and measured six miles.
Expedition into Central Australia Charles Sturt

The game continues until the last player on each team, after carrying the egg forward, returns across the base line.
School, Church, and Home Games George O. Draper

The third bunted down the third base line and was also safe.
Frank Armstrong at College Matthew M. Colton

The ball rolled slowly down the third base line until Brown pounced on it.
Pitching in a Pinch Christy Mathewson

Its position could not be determined until a base line had been established.
Evil Out of Onzar Mark Ganes

the bottom or supporting part of anything
the fundamental or underlying principle or part, as of an idea, system, or organization; basis

a centre of operations, organization, or supply: the climbers made a base at 8000 feet
(as modifier): base camp

a centre from which military activities are coordinated
anything from which a process, as of measurement, action, or thought, is or may be begun; starting point: the new discovery became the base for further research
the main ingredient of a mixture: to use rice as a base in cookery
a chemical compound that combines with an acid to form a salt and water. A solution of a base in water turns litmus paper blue, produces hydroxyl ions, and has a pH greater than 7. Bases are metal oxides or hydroxides or amines See also Lewis base
(biochem) any of the nitrogen-containing constituents of nucleic acids: adenine, thymine (in DNA), uracil (in RNA), guanine, or cytosine
a medium such as oil or water in which the pigment is dispersed in paints, inks, etc; vehicle
the inorganic material on which the dye is absorbed in lake pigments; carrier

the part of an organ nearest to its point of attachment
the point of attachment of an organ or part

the bottommost layer or part of anything

the lowest division of a building or structure
the lower part of a column or pier

another word for baseline (sense 2)
the lower side or face of a geometric construction

the number of distinct single-digit numbers in a counting system, and so the number represented as 10 in a place-value system: the binary system has two digits, 0 and 1, and 10 to base two represents 2 See place-value
(of a logarithm or exponential) the number whose powers are expressed: since 1000 = 10³, the logarithm of 1000 to base 10 is 3
(of a mathematical structure) a substructure from which the given system can be generated
the initial instance from which a generalization is proven by mathematical induction

(logic, maths) Also called base clause. the initial element of a recursive definition, that defines the first element of the infinite sequence generated thereby

a root or stem
See base component

(electronics) the region in a transistor between the emitter and collector
(photog) the glass, paper, or cellulose-ester film that supports the sensitized emulsion with which it is coated
(heraldry) the lower part of the shield
(jewellery) the quality factor used in pricing natural pearls
a starting or finishing point in any of various games
(baseball) any of the four corners of the diamond, which runners have to reach in order to score
the main source of a certain commodity or element: a customer base, their fan base
(US & Canadian, informal) get to first base, to accomplish the first stage in a project or a series of objectives
(US & Canadian, informal) off base, wrong or badly mistaken
touch base, to make contact
(transitive foll by on or upon) to use as a basis (for); found (on): your criticisms are based on ignorance
often foll by at or in. to station, post, or place (a person or oneself)
devoid of honour or morality; ignoble; contemptible
of inferior quality or value
debased; alloyed; counterfeit: base currency
(English history)

(of land tenure) held by villein or other ignoble service
holding land by villein or other ignoble service

(archaic) born of humble parents; plebeian
(archaic) illegitimate
adjective, noun
(music) an obsolete spelling of bass1
(surveying) a measured line through a survey area from which triangulations are made
an imaginary line, standard of value, etc, by which things are measured or compared
a line at each end of a tennis court that marks the limit of play
a method of surveying in which an area is divided into triangles, one side (the base line) and all angles of which are measured and the lengths of the other lines calculated trigonometrically
the network of triangles so formed
the fixing of an unknown point, as in navigation, by making it one vertex of a triangle, the other two being known
(chess) a key manoeuvre in the endgame in which the king moves thrice in a triangular path to leave the opposing king with the move and at a disadvantage

See base number

See trilateration

also base-line, 1750, originally in surveying, from base (n.) + line (n.). Baseball diamond sense is from 1867. Baseline estimate in use by 1983.

1818, from Medieval Latin triangulationem (mid-12c., nominative triangulatio), noun of action from Latin *triangulare, from triangulum (see triangle).

“bottom, foundation, pedestal,” early 14c., from Old French bas “depth” (12c.), from Latin basis “foundation,” from Greek basis “step, pedestal,” from bainein “to step” (see come). The military sense is from 1860. The chemical sense (1810) was introduced in French 1754 by French chemist Guillaume-François Rouelle (1703-1770). Sporting sense of “starting point” ia from 1690s, also “destination of a runner” (1812). As a “safe” spot in a tag-like game, suggested from mid-15c. (as the name of the game later called prisoner’s base).

late 14c., “low, of little height,” from Old French bas “low, lowly, mean,” from Late Latin bassus “thick, stumpy, low” (used only as a cognomen in classical Latin, humilis being there the usual word for “low in stature or position”), possibly from Oscan, or Celtic, or related to Greek basson, comparative of bathys “deep.” Figurative sense of “low in the moral scale” is first attested 1530s in English, earlier “servile” (1520s). Base metals (c.1600) were worthless in contrast to noble or precious metals.

“to place on a foundation,” 1841, from base (n.). Related: Based; basing.

base line n.

A line corresponding to the base of the skull, passing from the infraorbital ridge to the midline of the occiput, through the ear canal.

A line serving as a basis, as for measurement or calculation.

base (bās)

The part of an organ nearest its point of attachment.

A fundamental ingredient; a chief constituent of a mixture.

Any of a large class of compounds, including the hydroxides and oxides of metals, having a bitter taste, a slippery solution, the capacity to turn litmus blue, and to react with acids to form salts.

A molecular or ionic substance capable of combining with a proton to form a new substance. Also called Brønsted base.

A nitrogen-containing organic compound that combines in such a manner.

A substance that provides a pair of electrons for a covalent bond with an acid.



Any of a class of compounds that form hydroxyl ions (OH) when dissolved in water, and whose aqueous solutions react with acids to form salts. Bases turn red litmus paper blue and have a pH greater than 7. Their aqueous solutions have a bitter taste. Compare acid.

See nitrogen base.

The side or face of a geometric figure to which an altitude is or is thought to be drawn. The base can be, but is not always, the bottom part of the figure.

The number that is raised to various powers to generate the principal counting units of a number system. The base of the decimal system, for example, is 10.

The number that is raised to a particular power in a given mathematical expression. In the expression an, a is the base.





A method of determining the relative positions of points in space by measuring the distances, and sometimes angles, between those points and other reference points whose positions are known. Triangulation often involves the use of trigonometry. It is commonly used in the navigation of aircraft and boats, and is the method used in the Global Positioning System , in which the reference points are satellites.

Any of a number of bitter-tasting, caustic materials. Technically, a material that produces negative ions in solution. A base is the opposite of an acid and has a pH of 7 to 14. A given amount of a base added to the same amount of an acid neutralizes the acid; water and a salt are produced. Alkalis are bases; ammonia is a common base.

Related Terms

get to first base, off base, off one’s base, touch base with someone

get to first base
off base
touch base


Read Also:

  • Baseliner

    a player who typically plays near the baseline using ground strokes, as distinguished from one who typically goes to the net. noun (tennis) a player who plays most of his or her shots from the back of court

  • Base load

    the constant or permanent load on a power supply. noun the more or less constant part of the total load on an electrical power-supply system Compare peak load

  • Baseman

    a first, second, or third baseman. Contemporary Examples Kids, like young Paul Hemphill, went speechless in the presence of Fred Hatfield the third baseman. The Great Paul Hemphill Celebrates the Long Gone Birmingham Barons Paul Hemphill March 28, 2014 Kelly, who graduated from Pitt in 1933, should easily waltz past Colorado Rockies third baseman Ty […]

  • Base map

    an outline map of an area to which specific information is added for any of various purposes. Historical Examples Anyone who attempts to draw a base map must, first of all, know how each feature or part of the map should be represented. The Preparation of Illustrations for Reports of the United States Geological Survey […]
