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base2

Pronunciation: /beɪs/

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Definition of base

adjective

  • 1without moral principles; ignoble:the electorate’s baser instincts of greed and selfishness
  • 2 archaic denoting or befitting a person of low social class.
  • 3(of coins or other articles) not made of precious metal: the basest coins in the purse were made in the 620s ad

Derivatives

basely

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French bas, from medieval Latin bassus 'short' (found in classical Latin as a cognomen). Early senses included 'low, short' and 'of inferior quality'; from the latter arose a sense 'low in the social scale', and hence (mid 16th century) 'reprehensibly cowardly, selfish, or mean'

base in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of base in the US English dictionary