Base

Base
Base Base (b[=a]s), a. [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. [1913 Webster]

2. Low in place or position. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Of humble birth; or low degree; lowly; mean. [Archaic] ``A peasant and base swain.'' --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

4. Illegitimate by birth; bastard. [Archaic] [1913 Webster]

Why bastard? wherefore base? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. Of little comparative value, as metal inferior to gold and silver, the precious metals. [1913 Webster]

6. Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base bullion. [1913 Webster]

7. Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base motives; base occupations. ``A cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind.'' --Robynson (More's Utopia). ``Base ingratitude.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

8. Not classical or correct. ``Base Latin.'' --Fuller. [1913 Webster]

9. Deep or grave in sound; as, the base tone of a violin. [In this sense, commonly written {bass.}] [1913 Webster]

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 tenant. [1913 Webster]

{Base fee}, formerly, an estate held at the will of the lord; now, a qualified fee. See note under {Fee}, n., 4.

{Base metal}. See under {Metal}. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Dishonorable; worthless; ignoble; low-minded; infamous; sordid; degraded.

Usage: {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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Base D'or — En mathématiques, le nombre d or, à savoir peut être utilisé comme une base de numération. Ce système est connu sous le nom base d or, ou accessoirement, phinaire (car le symbole pour le nombre d or est la lettre grecque « phi »). Tout… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Base — or BASE may refer to:A base is a mixture of urine n waste so do not eat it* Base meaning bottom, the lowest part of an object* can mean negative, unfavorable or undesirable in nature. Bad; vile; malicious; evil.In mathematics: *Base (mathematics) …   Wikipedia

  • Base — Base, n. [F. base, L. basis, fr. Gr. ba sis a stepping, step, a base, pedestal, fr. bai nein to go, step, akin to E. come. Cf. {Basis}, and see {Come}.] 1. The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Base — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El término base tiene los siguientes significados: En matemáticas: en aritmética, base de un sistema de numeración es el número de objetos que forman una unidad de orden superior; en geometría, base de una figura… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Base 36 — is a positional numeral system using 36 as the radix. The choice of 36 is convenient in that the digits can be represented using the Arabic numerals 0 9 and the Latin letters A Z. Base 36 is therefore the most compact case insensitive… …   Wikipedia

  • Base 13 — Base 13, tridecimal, or tredecimal is a positional numeral system with thirteen as its base. It uses 13 different digits for representing numbers. Suitable digits for base 13 could be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, X, E, and T (similar to base 12) …   Wikipedia

  • Base — bezeichnet: Basen (Chemie), eine Verbindung, die den pH Wert einer Lösung erhöht Nukleinbase, ein Baustein von DNA und RNA Base (Tabletop), die Basis von Modellen ein Frontend für Tabellen und Datenbanken, siehe OpenOffice.org Base die Ecke des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • BASE — steht für: Basen (Chemie), eine Verbindung, die den pH Wert einer Lösung erhöht Nukleinbase, ein Baustein von DNA und RNA Base (Tabletop), die Basis von Modellen ein Frontend für Tabellen und Datenbanken, siehe OpenOffice.org Base Ecke des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • BASE — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Para otros usos de este término, véase base. BASE (del acrónimo inglés Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) es un motor de búsqueda multidisciplinario, que es usado generalmente para encontrar textos en recursos… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Base 30 — or trigesimal is a positional numeral system using 30 as the radix. Digits in this base can be represented using the Arabic numerals 0 9 and the Latin letters A T.From a mathematical viewpoint, 30 is a convenient choice for a base in that it is… …   Wikipedia

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