basement

[beys-muhnt]

noun

1. a story of a building, partly or wholly underground.

2. (in classical and Renaissance architecture) the portion of a building beneath the principal story, treated as a single compositional unit.

3. the lowermost portion of a structure.

4. the substructure of a columnar or arched construction.

basement

/ ˈbeɪsmənt /

noun

1. 1. a partly or wholly underground storey of a building, esp the one immediately below the main floor Compare cellar

   2. ( as modifier )

      a basement flat

2. the foundation or substructure of a wall or building

3. geology a part of the earth's crust formed of hard igneous or metamorphic rock that lies beneath the cover of soft sedimentary rock, sediment, and soil

Word History and Origins

Origin of basement¹

First recorded in 1720–30; base ¹ + -ment

Example Sentences

The injury stretched for weeks as the Mavericks fell into the basement of the Western Conference.

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Piles of casings, stripped of their copper, had been crammed outside a basement window.

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At the end of the day, the women from Ohio made their way back to Union Station, convening in the basement food court to wait for the bus.

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Sony can sue the alleged pirates, but it’s unlikely to win big damages by taking a 30-year-old living in his parents’ basement to court.

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Following multiple attacks on their modest home by demodogs and U.S. agents, the Byers have been living in the basement of Mike’s home with his family, the Wheelers.

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Related Words

• cellar 
• storage 
• vault