base
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: bās
ipa: /beɪs/
ipa: /beːs/
rhymes: -eɪs
homophone: bass
Forms: form: baser
form: more base
form: basest
form: most base
Etymology: From Middle English base, bas, from Old French bas, from Late Latin bassus (“low”). Cognate with Spanish bajo, Italian basso and base.
Senses: examples: text: The cedar stoops not to the base shrub's foot.
ref: 1594, William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece, line 664:
glosses: Low in height; short.
examples: text: I see thy glory like a shooting star / Fall to the base earth from the firmament.
ref: c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Richard II, act 2, scene 4, lines 19–20:
glosses: Low in place or position.
examples: text: If thou livest in paine and sorrow, thy base courage is the cause of it, To die there wanteth but will.
ref: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
glosses: Of low value or degree.
examples: text: UUhat meanes the mightie Turkiſh Emperor
To talke with one ſo baſe as Tamburlaine?
ref: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:
text: Wherefore should I / Stand in the plague of custome, and permit / The curiosity of Nations, to deprive me? For that I am some twelve, or fourteen Moonshines / Lag of a Brother? Why Bastard? Wherefore base? / When my Dimensions are as well compact, My minde as generous, and my shape as true / As honest madams issue? Why brand they us / With Base? With basenes Bastardie? Base, Base?
ref: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 285, column 2:
text: a peasant and base swain
ref: 1623, Francis Bacon, De Augmentis Scientiarum:
glosses: Of low social standing or rank; vulgar, common.
examples: text: a cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind
ref: 1551, Ralph Robynson, transl., More's Utopia:
text: base ingratitude
ref: 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
english: Comus
translation: Comus
text: “Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it.[…]”
ref: 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
text: We never, ever change / We make, the same mistakes / If you're gonna have roads / You're gonna have roadkill / That's the risk that it takes / Stone guns / Primitive tanks / Base emotions drive the horde / The diplomat takes, the rook from the board / I want to know what was, in the briefcase / Colder than cold war / Enemies without uniforms
ref: 2012, “The Diplomat”, performed by Pig Destroyer:
glosses: Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
examples: text: 'Like this horrible film.'
'Horrible?' Lenina was genuinely astonished. 'But I thought it was lovely.'
'It was base,' he said indignantly, 'it was ignoble.'
ref: 1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, London: Chatto & Windus:
glosses: Inferior; unworthy, of poor quality.
glosses: Not considered precious or noble.
raw_tags: of a metal
examples: text: base coin
text: base bullion
glosses: Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.
examples: text: Why bastard? Wherefore base?
ref: c. 1605–1606, William Shakespeare, King Lear, act 1, scene 2, line 6:
glosses: Of illegitimate birth; bastard.
examples: text: base Latin
ref: 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
glosses: Not classical or correct.
examples: text: the base tone of a violin
glosses: Obsolete form of bass.
examples: text: A base estate is one held by services not honourable, or held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant is a base tenant.
topics: law
glosses: Relating to feudal land tenure held by a tenant from a lord in exchange for services that are seen as unworthy for noblemen to perform, such as villeinage.
Synonyms: sense: low, short
word: little
sense: low, short
word: petite
sense: low, short
word: short
sense: of position
word: low-lying
sense: of position
word: lowland
sense: of value
word: insignificant
word: common
word: low-born
word: lowly
word: plebeian
word: vulgar
sense: immoral
word: despicable
word: evil
sense: of inferior quality
word: low-quality
sense: of illegitimate birth
word: illegitimate
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base-born
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base-bred
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base coin
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base estate
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base fee
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: baseling
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: basely
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base metal
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base-minded
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: baseness
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base-spirited
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base tenant
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base tenure
sense: terms derived from base (adjective)
word: base-witted