basis
/ˈbeɪ.sɪs/ noun
Forms bases baseis basises
- noun A physical base or foundation.
- noun A starting point, base or foundation for an argument or hypothesis.
- noun An underlying condition or circumstance. “Allow us to compete on an equal basis.”
- noun A regular frequency. “You should brush your teeth on a daily basis at minimum.”
- noun (agriculture, trading) The difference between the cash price a dealer pays to a farmer for his produce and an agreed reference price, which is usually the futures price at which the given crop is trading at a commodity exchange. “Included in the basis could be elevation, cleaning, freight by truck and/or rail, government inspection fees, administration fees, interest and storage charges as well as allowance for risk and profit for the grain dealer.”
- noun (linear algebra) In a vector space, a linearly independent set of vectors spanning the whole vector space.
- noun (accounting) Amount paid for an investment, including commissions and other expenses.
- noun (topology) A collection of subsets ("basis elements") of a set, such that this collection covers the set, and for any two basis elements which both contain an element of the set, there is a third basis element contained in the intersection of the first two, which also contains that element. “The collection of all possible unions of basis elements of a basis is said to be the topology generated by that basis.”
Synonyms
base footing ground foundation fundament groundwork cornerstone
Etymology
From Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis, derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (whence also come). Doublet of base.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. Dryden.
- noun The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.]
Etymology [L. basis, Gr. . See Base, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “basis”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details