base
part of speech
noun (a base, bases); verb (base, bases, based, basing); adjective (base, rare: base metals)
meaning for a pupil
1) The base of something is its bottom part or the part it stands on. tree →
2) A base is a main place where people live or work from, like a camp or army base, or the safe spot in a game. tree →
3) In maths, the base of a shape is the side or face it sits on. tree →
4) In maths, a number system has a base, like base ten. tree →
5) In science, a base is a chemical that is the opposite of an acid, like soap or baking soda. tree →
6) In baseball and rounders, a base is one of the places a runner must reach. tree →
7) To base something on another thing means to use it as the starting point, like a film based on a book. tree →
8) Base can also describe something low, mean or dishonourable, such as a base act. tree →
sense in the lessons
In maths: the base of a triangle or prism; area of a triangle = half × base × height; base ten (ones, tens, hundreds); in 10 squared, 10 is the base. In science: acids and bases, the pH scale (bases are above 7). In games like tag, «base» is the safe place. In stories: «based on a true story». Phrases: «at the base of», «base camp», «based on», «touch base» (get in contact), «off base» (wrong).
examples
- The lamp has a heavy base so it won't fall over. tree →
- We had a picnic at the base of the mountain. tree →
- Measure the base and the height of the triangle. tree →
- Our number system is base ten. tree →
- Soap is a base, and lemon juice is an acid. tree →
- She ran to second base. tree →
- In tag, you are safe when you are on base. tree →
- The film is based on a book by Roald Dahl. tree →
- The explorers set up a base camp. tree →
- "My husband," answered the wife, "beware, I pray, of your doing anything so base! tree →
note
Homophone: «bass» (a low sound or guitar, said the same) — but «bass» the fish is said «bas». Plural «bases» (said BAY-siz) is also the plural of «basis». In area problems, the base and height must be at right angles to each other.
In the corpora
- The "10,000 hours" idea was made famous by the writer Malcolm Gladwell, based on research by the psychologist Anders Ericsson.
- It has to be based on evidence.
- A prediction is a sensible guess about what will happen next, based on clues.
- Standing with your feet apart gives you a wider base and better balance.
- Most cats like to be stroked on the cheeks, under the chin and at the base of the ears.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «base» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.