stereobate

[ster-ee-uh-beyt, steer-]

noun Architecture.

the foundation or base upon which a building or the like is erected.
the solid platform forming the floor and substructure of a classical temple; crepidoma; podium.

Compare stylobate.

Origin of stereobate

1830–40; < Latin stereobatēs < Greek stereobatḗs, equivalent to stereo- stereo- + -batēs walker (see stylobate)

Related formsster·e·o·bat·ic

[ster-ee-uh-bat-ik, steer-] /ˌstɛr i əˈbæt ɪk, ˌstɪər-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stereobate

Historical Examples of stereobate

The entire foundation of the temple, including the stereobate, the stylobate, and the remaining steps.
History of Ancient Art
Franz von Reber
At another point in the circumference of this temple there is a stereobate of a more complicated description.
A History of Art in Ancient Egypt, Vol. II (of 2)
Georges Perrot

British Dictionary definitions for stereobate

stereobate

noun

another name for stylobate
a foundation of a building in the form of a platform of masonry

Word Origin for stereobate

C19: via Latin, from Greek stereobatēs from stereos solid + -batēs base, from bainein to walk

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