basis

[ bey-sis ]

/ ˈbeɪ sɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR basis ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ba·ses [bey-seez] /ˈbeɪ siz/.

the bottom or base of anything; the part on which something stands or rests.

anything upon which something is based; fundamental principle; groundwork.

the principal constituent; fundamental ingredient.

a basic fact, amount, standard, etc., used in making computations, reaching conclusions, or the like: The nurse is paid on an hourly basis. He was chosen on the basis of his college grades.

Mathematics. a set of linearly independent elements of a given vector space having the property that every element of the space can be written as a linear combination of the elements of the set.

Nearby words

basing point, basingstoke, basion, basipetal, basiphobia, basis, basis of articulation, basis point, basis weight, basisphenoid, basivertebral vein

Origin of basis

1525–35; < Latin < Greek básis step, place one stands on, pedestal, equivalent to ba-, base of baínein to walk, step (akin to come) + -sis -sis; cf. base¹

Synonym study

1, 2. See base¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for basis

We see the Southern segregationists who threatened his life and that of his family on an almost daily basis.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So, I can deal with them on a daily basis, I know how it affects my body.
Tim Howard’s Wall of Intensity|William O’Connor|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We also knew that once we hit the road, we would be paying our band and crew on a weekly basis.
How Much Money Does a Band Really Make on Tour?|Jack Conte|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew: Nuclear Armageddon was staring me in the face on a daily basis.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk|Clive Irving|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the federal level, much remains undefined defined: What would be the basis for quarantining individuals?
Are Mandatory Ebola Quarantines Legal?|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ambergris forms the basis of these, as it also does of the Indian pastilles called "Cachunde," and which were equally in repute.
Aphrodisiacs and Anti-aphrodisiacs: Three Essays on the Powers of Reproduction|John Davenport
Its basis is truth to the form as well as to the thought, to the letter as well as to the spirit, of the text.
Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 118, August, 1887|Various
He had everything to gain by saving it as a basis of operations for his army.
The Thirty Years' War|Samuel Rawson Gardiner
On such a basis the system could not, however, be very largely developed.
The Development of Rates of Postage|A. D. Smith
Accordingly I ask, How much time is needed to account for the facts before us on the basis of Uniformity?
Illogical Geology|George McCready Price

British Dictionary definitions for basis

basis

/ (ˈbeɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

something that underlies, supports, or is essential to something else, esp an abstract idea

a principle on which something depends or from which something has issued

maths (of a vector space) a maximal set of linearly independent vectors, in terms of which all the elements of the space are uniquely expressible, and the number of which is the dimension of the spacethe vectors x, y and z form a basis of the 3-dimensional space all members of which can be written as a x + b y + c z

Word Origin for basis

C14: via Latin from Greek: step, from bainein to step, go

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for basis

basis

[ bā′sĭs ]

n. pl. ba•ses (-sēz′)

The foundation upon which something, such as an anatomical part, rests.

Science definitions for basis

basis

[ bā′sĭs ]

Plural bases (bā′sēz′)

A set of independent vectors whose linear combinations define a vector space, such as a reference frame used to establish a coordinate system.

Idioms and Phrases with basis

basis

see on a first-name basis.