Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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.

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

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

   4. Illegitimate by birth; bastard. [Archaic]

            Why bastard? wherefore base?          --Shak.

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

   6. Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base
      bullion.

   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.

   8. Not classical or correct. ``Base Latin.'' --Fuller.

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

   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.

   {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}.

   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 want 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.

Base \Base\, n. [F. base, L. basis, fr. Gr. ? a stepping step, a
   base, pedestal, fr. ? 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 support; the foundation; as,
      the base of a statue. ``The base of mighty mountains.''
      --Prescott.

   2. Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the
      essential principle; a groundwork.

   3. (Arch.)
      (a) The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when
          treated as a separate feature, usually in projection,
          or especially ornamented.
      (b) The lower part of a complete architectural design, as
          of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate
          piece of furniture or decoration.

   4. (Bot.) That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it
      is attached to its support.

Base \Base\, v. t. [See {Base}, a., and cf. {Abase}.]
   1. To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower. [Obs.]

            If any . . . based his pike.          --Sir T.
                                                  North.

   2. To reduce the value of; to debase. [Obs.]

            Metals which we can not base.         --Bacon.

Base \Base\ (b[=a]s), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Based} (b[=a]sd); p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Basing}.] [From {Base}, n.]
   To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to
   found, as an argument or conclusion; -- used with on or upon.
   --Bacon.

Source : WordNet®

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)]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

base
     
         {radix}.