baseline

American  

[beys-lahyn] / ˈbeɪsˌlaɪn /

noun

1. Baseball. the area between bases base bases basis within which a base runner must keep when running from one base bases to another.

2. Tennis. the line at each end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the in-bounds limit of play.

3. (in perspective drawing) a horizontal line in the immediate foreground formed by the intersection of the ground plane and the picture plane.

4. a basic standard or level; guideline.

   to establish a baseline for future studies.

5. a specific value or values that can serve as a comparison or control.

6. Typography. the imaginary line on which the bottoms of primary letters align.

7. Surveying. triangulation1

8. Electronics. a horizontal or vertical line formed on the face of a cathode-ray tube by the sweep of the scanning dot.

9. Naval Architecture. a line on the body plan or sheer plan of a hull, representing a horizontal reference plane for vertical dimensions.

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adjective

1. basic or essential.

baseline British  

/ ˈbeɪsˌlaɪn /

noun

1. surveying a measured line through a survey area from which triangulations are made

2. an imaginary line, standard of value, etc, by which things are measured or compared

3. a line at each end of a tennis court that marks the limit of play

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Etymology

Origin of baseline

First recorded in 1740–50; base ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

“That combination of low supply and relatively high affluence for some parts of our country make the baseline of an entry-level home very expensive,” Lens said.

From Los Angeles Times

"What she is doing now would not be nearly as surprising in an elite athlete whose knee was already functioning like the ACL was torn at baseline."

From BBC

After Cash produced a service winner to secure victory, he started to walk back to the baseline, with all of the players thinking it was a 10-point match tie-break.

From BBC

If citizens are informed, they can self-govern from a rough baseline of realism.

From The Wall Street Journal

He produced three glorious passing shots - two off the backhand and one off the forehand - and moved well behind the baseline to suffocate Durasovic.

From BBC

Related Words

• control
• criterion
• guideline
• measure
• standard