Etymologically
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basis

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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

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