Etymologically
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basement

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbeɪsmənt/[1]

Etymology

It is probably formed from base and -ment,[2][3][4] perhaps influenced by French soubassement (“substructure”).[2] Hoad, NODE and SOED instead derive it from obsolete Dutch basement, foundation (West Flemish bazement), perhaps from Italian basamento (“base of a column”).[5][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The lowest storey of a building, wholly or partly underground: 1730.[2][8][3] MWU dates it to 1610.[4]

Semantic evolution

The lowest part of any structure, as of a column or a geological formation, is from 1793,[8] and figuratively a groundwork from 1818.[8] The action of basing or being based is from 1836.[8] SOED records the compound bargain basement.[7]

Timeline

  • 1610 – first use (MWU).[4]
  • 1730 – the lowest storey.[2][8]
  • 1793 – the lowest part of a structure.[8]
  • 1818 – a groundwork (figurative).[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A storey of a building that is partly or entirely below ground level; a cellar.
  2. The lowest part or foundation of a structure.

Word family

  • basementless
  • semibasement
  • subbasement
  • bargain-basement
  • basement membrane

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press