basis

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbeɪ.sɪs/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin basis (“foundation”),^[2][3] from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis, “a going, a step; a stand, base”),^[2][3] from βαίνω (baínō, “to go, walk, step”),^[2][3] from Proto-Indo-European *gwa- (“to go, come”),^[2] so that it is related to Latin venīre and English come.^[3][4] It is a doublet of base.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The base of a pillar: 1532 in the OED.^[5] The general sense, the bottom of something on which it rests, is from 1571,^[5][3] and the 1570s in Etymonline.^[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to the 14th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes that the literal senses are now rare, base being used instead.^[5] The figurative senses, of immaterial things, are from about 1600:^[2] the main ingredient of something from 1601,^[5] and the foundation or principle on which something rests from 1605.^[5] In botany and zoology the part of an organ attached to its support is the basis from 1615.^[5] The plural is bases.^[1]

Timeline

• 1532 – the base of a pillar.^[5]
• 1571 – the bottom, foundation.^[5][3]
• 1601 – the main ingredient.^[5]
• 1605 – a foundation of ideas.^[5]
• 1615 – in botany and zoology.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A foundation on which something rests.
2. The main ingredient or part.
3. The underlying principle or reason: on the basis of the evidence.
4. A way or system: on a weekly basis.

Word family

• basic
• basis point
• cash basis
• accrual basis

Related words

• base
• come
• acrobat
• diabetes
• venue

References

1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster