Chapter 79

6. Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base bullion.

7. Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base motives; base occupations. "A cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind." Robynson (More's Utopia). "Base ingratitude." Milton.

8. Not classical or correct. "Base Latin." Fuller.

9. Deep or grave in sound; as, the base tone of a violin. [In this sense, commonly written bass.]

10. (Law) Not held by honorable service; as, a base estate, one held by services not honorable; held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant, a base tenant.

Base fee, formerly, an estate held at the will of the lord; now, a qualified fee. See note under Fee, n., 4. -- Base metal. See under Metal.

Syn. -- Dishonorable; worthless; ignoble; low-minded; infamous; sordid; degraded. -- Base, Vile, Mean. These words, as expressing moral qualities, are here arranged in the order of their strength, the strongest being placed first. Base marks a high degree of moral turpitude; vile and mean denote, in different degrees, the want of what is valuable or worthy of esteem. What is base excites our abhorrence; what is vile provokes our disgust or indignation; what is mean awakens contempt. Base is opposed to high-minded; vile, to noble; mean, to liberal or generous. Ingratitude is base; sycophancy is vile; undue compliances are mean.

Base, n. [F. base, L. basis, fr. Gr. ba`sis a stepping, step, a base, pedestal, fr. bai`nein to go, step, akin to E. come. Cf. Basis, and see Come.] 1. The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for support; the foundation; as, the base of a statue. "The base of mighty mountains." Prescott.

2. Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential principle; a groundwork.

3. (Arch.) (a) The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially ornamented. (b) The lower part of a complete architectural design, as of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate piece of furniture or decoration.

4. (Bot.) That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support.

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5. (Chem.) The positive, or non-acid component of a salt; a substance which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt; -- applied also to the hydroxides of the positive elements or radicals, and to certain organic bodies resembling them in their property of forming salts with acids.

6. (Pharmacy) The chief ingredient in a compound.

7. (Dyeing) A substance used as a mordant. Ure.

8. (Fort.) The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions.

9. (Geom.) The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand.

10. (Math.) The number from which a mathematical table is constructed; as, the base of a system of logarithms.

11. [See Base low.] A low, or deep, sound. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part; the deepest male voice. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, base. [Now commonly written bass.]

The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar. Dryden.

12. (Mil.) A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications, or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.

13. (Mil.) The smallest kind of cannon. [Obs.]

14. (Zoöl.) That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ.

15. (Crystallog.) The basal plane of a crystal.

16. (Geol.) The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline.

17. (Her.) The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon.

18. The housing of a horse. [Obs.]

19. pl. A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mailed armor) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower. [Obs.]

20. The lower part of a robe or petticoat. [Obs.]

21. An apron. [Obs.] "Bakers in their linen bases." Marston.

22. The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or a goal in various games.

To their appointed base they went. Dryden.

23. (Surv.) A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles. Lyman.

24. A rustic play; -- called also prisoner's base, prison base, or bars. "To run the country base." Shak.

25. (Baseball) Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of the infield.

Altern base. See under Altern. -- Attic base. (Arch.) See under Attic. -- Base course. (Arch.) (a) The first or lower course of a foundation wall, made of large stones or a mass of concrete; -- called also foundation course. (b) The architectural member forming the transition between the basement and the wall above. -- Base hit (Baseball), a hit, by which the batsman, without any error on the part of his opponents, is able to reach the first base without being put out. -- Base line. (a) A main line taken as a base, as in surveying or in military operations. (b) A line traced round a cannon at the rear of the vent. -- Base plate, the foundation plate of heavy machinery, as of the steam engine; the bed plate. -- Base ring (Ordnance), a projecting band of metal around the breech, connected with the body of the gun by a concave molding. H. L. Scott.

Base (bs), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Based (bsd); p. pr. & vb. n. Basing.] [From Base, n.] To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to found, as an argument or conclusion; -- used with on or upon. Bacon.

Base, v. t. [See Base, a., and cf. Abase.] 1. To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower. [Obs.]

If any . . . based his pike. Sir T. North.

2. To reduce the value of; to debase. [Obs.]

Metals which we can not base. Bacon.

Base"ball" (&?;), n. 1. A game of ball, so called from the bases or bounds (four in number) which designate the circuit which each player must endeavor to make after striking the ball.

2. The ball used in this game.

Base"board (&?;), n. (Arch.) A board, or other woodwork, carried round the walls of a room and touching the floor, to form a base and protect the plastering; -- also called washboard (in England), mopboard, and scrubboard.

Base"born` (&?;), a. 1. Born out of wedlock. Gay.

2. Born of low parentage.

3. Vile; mean. "Thy baseborn heart." Shak.

Base"-burn`er (&?;), n. A furnace or stove in which the fuel is contained in a hopper or chamber, and is fed to the fire as the lower stratum is consumed.

Base"-court` (&?;), n. [F. basse-cour. See Base, a., and Court, n.] 1. The secondary, inferior, or rear courtyard of a large house; the outer court of a castle.

2. (Law) An inferior court of law, not of record.

Based (&?;), p. p. & a. 1. Having a base, or having as a base; supported; as, broad-based.

2. [See Base, n., 18-21.] Wearing, or protected by, bases. [Obs.] "Based in lawny velvet." E. Hall.

Ba"se*dow's dis*ease" (&?;). [Named for Dr. Basedow, a German physician.] (Med.) A disease characterized by enlargement of the thyroid gland, prominence of the eyeballs, and inordinate action of the heart; -- called also exophthalmic goiter. Flint.

Bas"e*lard (&?;), n. [OF. baselarde, LL. basillardus.] A short sword or dagger, worn in the fifteenth century. [Written also baslard.] Fairholt.

Base"less, a. Without a base; having no foundation or support. "The baseless fabric of this vision." Shak.

Base"ly, adv. 1. In a base manner; with despicable meanness; dishonorably; shamefully.

2. Illegitimately; in bastardy. [Archaic] Knolles.

Base"ment (&?;), n. [F. soubassement. Of uncertain origin. Cf. Base, a., Bastion.] (Arch.) The outer wall of the ground story of a building, or of a part of that story, when treated as a distinct substructure. (See Base, n., 3 (a).) Hence: The rooms of a ground floor, collectively.

Basement membrane (Anat.), a delicate membrane composed of a single layer of flat cells, forming the substratum upon which, in many organs, the epithelioid cells are disposed.

Base"ness (&?;), n. The quality or condition of being base; degradation; vileness.

I once did hold it a baseness to write fair. Shak.

Bas"e*net (&?;), n. See Bascinet. [Obs.]

Base" vi`ol (&?;). See Bass viol.

Bash (&?;), v. t. & i. [OE. baschen, baissen. See Abash.] To abash; to disconcert or be disconcerted or put out of countenance. [Obs.]

His countenance was bold and bashed not. Spenser.

Ba*shaw" (&?;), n. [See Pasha.] 1. A Turkish title of honor, now written pasha. See Pasha.

2. Fig.: A magnate or grandee.

3. (Zoöl.) A very large siluroid fish (Leptops olivaris) of the Mississippi valley; -- also called goujon, mud cat, and yellow cat.

Bash"ful (bsh"fl), a. [See Bash.] 1. Abashed; daunted; dismayed. [Obs.]

2. Very modest, or modest to excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as, a bashful person, action, expression.

Syn. -- Diffident; retiring; reserved; shamefaced; sheepish.

Bash"ful*ly, adv. In a bashful manner.

Bash"ful*ness, n. The quality of being bashful.

Syn. -- Bashfulness, Modesty, Diffidence, Shyness. Modesty arises from a low estimate of ourselves; bashfulness is an abashment or agitation of the spirits at coming into contact with others; diffidence is produced by an undue degree of self-distrust; shyness usually arises from an excessive self-consciousness, and a painful impression that every one is looking at us. Modesty of deportment is becoming in all; bashfulness often gives rise to mistakes and blundering; diffidence in society frequently makes a man a burden to himself; shyness usually produces a reserve or distance which is often mistaken for haughtiness.

||Bash"i-ba*zouk" (bsh"*b*zk"), n. [Turkish, light-headed, a foolish fellow.] A soldier belonging to the irregular troops of the Turkish army.

Bash"less, a. Shameless; unblushing. [Obs.] Spenser.

Bas"hyle (&?;), n. (Chem.) See Basyle.

Ba"si- (&?;). A combining form, especially in anatomical and botanical words, to indicate the base or position at or near a base; forming a base; as, basibranchials, the most ventral of the cartilages or bones of the branchial arches; basicranial, situated at the base of the cranium; basifacial, basitemporal, etc.

Ba"sic (&?;), a. 1. (Chem.) (a) Relating to a base; performing the office of a base in a salt. (b) Having the base in excess, or the amount of the base atomically greater than that of the acid, or exceeding in proportion that of the related neutral salt. (c) Apparently alkaline, as certain normal salts which exhibit alkaline reactions with test paper.

2. (Min.) Said of crystalline rocks which contain a relatively low percentage of silica, as basalt.

Basic salt (Chem.), a salt formed from a base or hydroxide by the partial replacement of its hydrogen by a negative or acid element or radical.

Ba*sic"er*ite (b*ss"r*t), n. [Basi- + Gr. ke`ras horn, antenna.] (Zoöl.) The second joint of the antennæ of crustaceans.

Ba*sic"i*ty, n. (Chem.) (a) The quality or state of being a base. (b) The power of an acid to unite with one or more atoms or equivalents of a base, as indicated by the number of replaceable hydrogen atoms contained in the acid.

Ba*sid"i*o*spore (&?;), n. [Basidium + spore.] (Bot.) A spore borne by a basidium. -- Ba*sid`i*o*spor"ous (&?;), a.

||Ba*sid"i*um (&?;), n. [NL., dim. of Gr. ba`sis base.] (Bot.) A special oblong or pyriform cell, with slender branches, which bears the spores in that division of fungi called Basidiomycetes, of which the common mushroom is an example.

Ba"si*fi`er (&?;), n. (Chem.) That which converts into a salifiable base.

Ba*sif"u*gal (&?;), a. [Base, n. + L. fugere to flee.] (Bot.) Tending or proceeding away from the base; as, a basifugal growth.

Ba"si*fy (&?;), v. t. [Base + - fy.] (Chem.) To convert into a salifiable base.

||Ba`si*gyn"i*um (&?;), n. [NL., fr. Gr. basis base + gynh woman.] (Bot.) The pedicel on which the ovary of certain flowers, as the passion flower, is seated; a carpophore or thecaphore.

Ba`si*hy"al (&?;), a. [Basi- + Gr. &upsilon; (the letter "upsilon"); from the shape.] (Anat.) Noting two small bones, forming the body of the inverted hyoid arch.

Ba`si*hy"oid (&?;), n. [Basi- + hyoid.] (Anat.) The central tongue bone.

Bas"il (bz"l), n. [Cf. F. basile and E. Bezel.] The slope or angle to which the cutting edge of a tool, as a plane, is ground. Grier.

Bas"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Basiled (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Basiling.] To grind or form the edge of to an angle. Moxon.

Bas"il, n. [F. basilic, fr. L. basilicus royal, Gr. basiliko`s fr. basiley`s king.] (Bot.) The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family, but chiefly to the common or sweet basil (Ocymum basilicum), and the bush basil, or lesser basil (O. minimum), the leaves of which are used in cookery. The name is also given to several kinds of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum).

Basil thyme, a name given to the fragrant herbs Calamintha Acinos and C. Nepeta. -- Wild basil, a plant (Calamintha clinopodium) of the Mint family.

Bas"il (bz"l), n. [Corrupt. from E. basan, F. basane, LL. basanium, bazana, fr. Ar. bithna, prop., lining.] The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.

{ Bas"i*lar (&?;), Bas"i*la*ry (&?;), } a. [F. basilaire, fr. L. basis. See Base, n.] 1. Relating to, or situated at, the base.

2. Lower; inferior; applied to impulses or springs of action. [R.] "Basilar instincts." H. W. Beecher.

Ba*sil"ic (&?;), n. [F. basilique.] Basilica.

{ Ba*sil"ic (&?;), Ba*sil"ic*al (&?;), } a. [See Basilica.] 1. Royal; kingly; also, basilican.

2. (Anat.) Pertaining to certain parts, anciently supposed to have a specially important function in the animal economy, as the middle vein of the right arm.

Ba*sil"i*ca (&?;), n.; pl. Basilicas (&?;); sometimes Basilicæ (-s). [L. basilica, Gr. basilikh` (sc. o'iki`a or stoa` fr. basiliko`s royal, fr. basiley`s king.] 1. Originally, the palace of a king; but afterward, an apartment provided in the houses of persons of importance, where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; and hence, any large hall used for this purpose.

2. (Arch.) (a) A building used by the Romans as a place of public meeting, with court rooms, etc., attached. (b) A church building of the earlier centuries of Christianity, the plan of which was taken from the basilica of the Romans. The name is still applied to some churches by way of honorary distinction.

Ba*sil"i*ca, n. A digest of the laws of Justinian, translated from the original Latin into Greek, by order of Basil I., in the ninth century. P. Cyc.

Ba*sil"i*can (&?;), a. Of, relating to, or resembling, a basilica; basilical.

There can be no doubt that the first churches in Constantinople were in the basilican form. Milman.

Ba*sil"i*cok (&?;), n. [OF. basilicoc.] The basilisk. [Obs.] Chaucer

||Ba*sil"i*con (&?;), n. [L. basilicon, Gr. basiliko`n neut. of basiliko`s cf. F. basilicon. See Basilica.] (Med.) An ointment composed of wax, pitch, resin, and olive oil, lard, or other fatty substance.

Bas"i*lisk (&?;), n. [L. basiliscus, Gr. basiliskos little king, kind of serpent, dim. of basileys king; -- so named from some prominences on the head resembling a crown.] 1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See Cockatrice.

Make me not sighted like the basilisk. Shak.

2. (Zoöl.) A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanidæ.

This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising above the occiput, which can be filled with air at pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back, that can be raised or depressed at will.

3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. [Obs.]

Ba"sin (&?;), n. [OF. bacin, F. bassin, LL. bacchinus, fr. bacca a water vessel, fr. L. bacca berry, in allusion to the round shape; or perh. fr. Celtic. Cf. Bac.]

1. A hollow vessel or dish, to hold water for washing, and for various other uses.

2. The quantity contained in a basin.

3. A hollow vessel, of various forms and materials, used in the arts or manufactures, as that used by glass grinders for forming concave glasses, by hatters for molding a hat into shape, etc.

4. A hollow place containing water, as a pond, a dock for ships, a little bay. Pope

5. (Physical Geog.) (a) A circular or oval valley, or depression of the surface of the ground, the lowest part of which is generally occupied by a lake, or traversed by a river. (b) The entire tract of country drained by a river, or sloping towards a sea or lake.

6. (Geol.) An isolated or circumscribed formation, particularly where the strata dip inward, on all sides, toward a center; -- especially applied to the coal formations, called coal basins or coal fields.

Ba"sined (&?;), a. Inclosed in a basin. "Basined rivers." Young.

Bas"i*net (&?;), n. Same as Bascinet.

Ba`si*oc*cip"i*tal (&?;), a. [Basi- + occipital.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the bone in the base of the cranium, frequently forming a part of the occipital in the adult, but usually distinct in the young. -- n. The basioccipital bone.

||Ba"si*on (&?;), n. [Gr. ba`sis a base.] (Anat.) The middle of the anterior margin of the great foramen of the skull.

Ba*sip"o*dite (&?;), n. [Basi- + poy`s, podo`s foot.] (Anat.) The basal joint of the legs of Crustacea.

||Ba*sip`te*ryg"i*um (&?;), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ba`sis a base + ptery`gion a fin.] (Anat.) A bar of cartilage at the base of the embryonic fins of some fishes. It develops into the metapterygium. -- Ba*sip`ter*yg"i*al (&?;), a.

Ba`sip*ter"y*goid (&?;), a. & n. [Basi- + pterygoid.] (Anat.) Applied to a protuberance of the base of the sphenoid bone.

Ba"sis (b"ss), n.; pl. Bases (-sz). [L. basis, Gr. ba`sis. See Base, n.] 1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. Dryden.

2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.]

If no basis bear my rising name. Pope.

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3. The groundwork; the first or fundamental principle; that which supports.

The basis of public credit is good faith. A. Hamilton.

4. The principal component part of a thing.

Ba*sis"o*lute (b*ss"*lt), a. [Basi- + solute, a.] (Bot.) Prolonged at the base, as certain leaves.

{ Ba`si*sphe"noid (&?;), Ba`si*sphe*noid"al (&?;), } a. [Basi- + sphenoid.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to that part of the base of the cranium between the basioccipital and the presphenoid, which usually ossifies separately in the embryo or in the young, and becomes a part of the sphenoid in the adult.

Ba`si*sphe"noid, n. (Anat.) The basisphenoid bone.

Bask (bsk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Basked (bskt); p. pr. & vb. n. Basking.] [OScand. baðask to bathe one's self, or perh. bakask to bake one's self, sk being reflexive. See Bath, n., Bake, v. t.] To lie in warmth; to be exposed to genial heat.

Basks in the glare, and stems the tepid wave. Goldsmith.

Bask, v. t. To warm by continued exposure to heat; to warm with genial heat.

Basks at the fire his hairy strength. Milton.

Bas"ket (&?;), n. [Of unknown origin. The modern Celtic words seem to be from the English.] 1. A vessel made of osiers or other twigs, cane, rushes, splints, or other flexible material, interwoven. "Rude baskets . . . woven of the flexile willow." Dyer.

2. The contents of a basket; as much as a basket contains; as, a basket of peaches.

3. (Arch.) The bell or vase of the Corinthian capital. [Improperly so used.] Gwilt.

4. The two back seats facing one another on the outside of a stagecoach. [Eng.] Goldsmith.

Basket fish (Zoöl.), an ophiuran of the genus Astrophyton, having the arms much branched. See Astrophyton. -- Basket hilt, a hilt with a covering wrought like basketwork to protect the hand. Hudibras. Hence, Basket-hilted, a. -- Basket work, work consisting of plaited osiers or twigs. -- Basket worm (Zoöl.), a lepidopterous insect of the genus Thyridopteryx and allied genera, esp. T. ephemeræformis. The larva makes and carries about a bag or basket-like case of silk and twigs, which it afterwards hangs up to shelter the pupa and wingless adult females.

Bas"ket, v. t. To put into a basket. [R.]

Bas"ket*ful (&?;), n.; pl. Basketfuls (&?;). As much as a basket will contain.

Bas"ket*ry (&?;), n. The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken collectively.

Bask"ing shark` (&?;). (Zoöl.) One of the largest species of sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), so called from its habit of basking in the sun; the liver shark, or bone shark. It inhabits the northern seas of Europe and America, and grows to a length of more than forty feet. It is a harmless species.

Bas"net (&?;), n. Same as Bascinet.

||Ba*som`ma*toph"o*ra (b*sm`m*tf"*r), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ba`sis base + 'o`mma eye + fe`rein to bear.] (Zoöl.) A group of Pulmonifera having the eyes at the base of the tentacles, including the common pond snails.

Ba"son (b"s'n), n. A basin. [Obs. or Special form]

Basque (bsk), a. [F.] Pertaining to Biscay, its people, or their language.

Basque (bsk), n. [F.] 1. One of a race, of unknown origin, inhabiting a region on the Bay of Biscay in Spain and France.

2. The language spoken by the Basque people.

3. A part of a lady's dress, resembling a jacket with a short skirt; -- probably so called because this fashion of dress came from the Basques.

Basqu"ish (&?;), a. [F. Basque Biscayan: cf. G. Baskisch.] Pertaining to the country, people, or language of Biscay; Basque [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Bas`-re*lief" (&?;), n. [F. bas- relief; bas low + relief raised work, relever to raise: cf. It. bassorilievo.] Low relief; sculpture, the figures of which project less than half of their true proportions; -- called also bass-relief and basso-rilievo. See Alto- rilievo.

Bass (bs), n.; pl. Bass, and sometimes Basses (- z). [A corruption of barse.] (Zoöl.) 1. An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species.

The common European bass is Labrax lupus. American species are: the striped bass (Roccus lineatus); white or silver bass of the lakes (R. chrysops); brass or yellow bass (R. interruptus).

2. The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass.

3. Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass.

4. The southern, red, or channel bass (Sciæna ocellata). See Redfish.

The name is also applied to many other fishes. See Calico bass, under Calico.

Bass, n. [A corruption of bast.] 1. (Bot.) The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast.

2. (Pron. &?;) A hassock or thick mat.

Bass (&?;), n. [F. basse, fr. bas low. See Base, a.]

1. A bass, or deep, sound or tone.

2. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part in a musical composition. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, bass. [Written also base.]

Thorough bass. See Thorough bass.

Bass, a. Deep or grave in tone.

Bass clef (Mus.), the character placed at the beginning of the staff containing the bass part of a musical composition. [See Illust. under Clef.] -- Bass voice, a deep-sounding voice; a voice fitted for singing bass.

Bass, v. t. To sound in a deep tone. [R.] Shak.

{ Bas"sa (&?;), Bas*saw" } (&?;), n. See Bashaw.

Bass` drum" (&?;). (Mus.) The largest of the different kinds of drums, having two heads, and emitting a deep, grave sound. See Bass, a.

Bas"set (bs"st or bs*st"), n. [F. bassette, fr. It. bassetta. Cf. Basso.] A game at cards, resembling the modern faro, said to have been invented at Venice.

Some dress, some dance, some play, not to forget Your piquet parties, and your dear basset. Rowe.