Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Basis \Ba"sis\, n.; pl. {Bases}. [L. basis, Gr. ?. See {Base},
   n.]
   1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests.
      --Dryden.

   2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.]

            If no basis bear my rising name.      --Pope.

Source : WordNet®

bases
     See {base}

base
     adj 1: serving as or forming a base; "the painter applied a base
            coat followed by two finishing coats" [syn: {basal}]
     2: (used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior
        metal; "base coins of aluminum"; "a base metal"
     3: of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense);
        "baseborn wretches with dirty faces"; "of humble (or
        lowly) birth" [syn: {baseborn}, {humble}, {lowly}]
     4: not adhering to ethical or moral principles; "base and
        unpatriotic motives"; "a base, degrading way of life";
        "cheating is dishonorable"; "they considered colonialism
        immoral"; "unethical practices in handling public funds"
        [syn: {dishonorable}, {dishonourable}, {immoral}, {unethical}]
     5: having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality;
        "that liberal obedience without which your army would be a
        base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage";
        "chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare;
        "something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in
        politics" [syn: {mean}, {meanspirited}]
     6: illegitimate [syn: {baseborn}]
     7: debased; not genuine; "an attempt to eliminate the base
        coinage"
     [also: {bases} (pl)]

base
     n 1: any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning
          litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and
          water; "bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals
          and ammonia" [syn: {alkali}]
     2: installation from which a military force initiates
        operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases" [syn:
         {base of operations}]
     3: lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of
        solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower" [syn: {foundation},
         {fundament}, {foot}, {groundwork}, {substructure}, {understructure}]
     4: place that runner must touch before scoring; "he scrambled
        to get back to the bag" [syn: {bag}]
     5: (numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent
        to one in the next higher counting place; "10 is the radix
        of the decimal system" [syn: {radix}]
     6: the bottom or lowest part; "the base of the mountain"
     7: (anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of
        attachment; "the base of the skull"
     8: a lower limit; "the government established a wage floor"
        [syn: {floor}]
     9: the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or
        developed or calculated or explained; "the whole argument
        rested on a basis of conjecture" [syn: {basis}, {foundation},
         {fundament}, {groundwork}, {cornerstone}]
     10: a support or foundation; "the base of the lamp" [syn: {pedestal},
          {stand}]
     11: the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the
         altitude can be constructed; "the base of the triangle"
     12: the most important or necessary part of something; "the
         basis of this drink is orange juice" [syn: {basis}]
     13: the place where you are stationed and from which missions
         start and end [syn: {home}]
     14: an intensely anti-western terrorist network that dispenses
         money and logistical support and training to a wide
         variety of radical Islamic terrorist group; has cells in
         more than 50 countries [syn: {al-Qaeda}, {Qaeda}, {al-Qa'ida},
          {al-Qaida}]
     15: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are
         removed; "thematic vowels are part of the stem" [syn: {root},
          {root word}, {stem}, {theme}, {radical}]
     16: the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed
         for the functioning of a country or area; "the industrial
         base of Japan" [syn: {infrastructure}]
     17: the principal ingredient of a mixture; "glycerinated gelatin
         is used as a base for many ointments"; "he told the
         painter that he wanted a yellow base with just a hint of
         green"; "everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the
         base"
     18: a flat bottom on which something is intended to sit; "a tub
         should sit on its own base"
     19: (electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the
         emitter from the collector
     [also: {bases} (pl)]

base
     v 1: use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some
          observation" [syn: {establish}, {ground}, {found}]
     2: use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes
        [syn: {free-base}]
     3: assign to a station [syn: {station}, {post}, {send}, {place}]
     [also: {bases} (pl)]