base French · revision 16930

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=early 12th century|origins=ine-pro *gʷem-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /baz/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /bɑz/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Quebec, formal): [bɑːz]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Quebec, informal): [bɑʊ̯z]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''base''' ''f'' (plural bases)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''basse'' (early 12th century), ''base'' (about 1160); in the 16th century it was often masculine.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|basis|t=base, pedestal; foundation]],^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|1, 272a) which transcribes [[grc|βάσις|tr=básis|t=a stepping; step; that on which one steps, foundation]],^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary) from [[m|grc|βαίνω|tr=baínō|t=to walk, go]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873) The Greek verb belongs to the Indo-European root [[ine-pro|*gʷem-|t=to go, come]], also seen in [[m|la|veniō|t=to come]] (see [[venir]]) and [[en|come]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007) Bloch and Wartburg note that the word was rare before the 16th century.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Compare [[ro|bază]], [[oc|basa]], [[it|base]], [[ca|base]], [[es|base]] and [[pt|base]].^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Livre des Rois'' (12th century) describes the bronze stands of Solomon's temple: ''Puis fist dis bases, e chascune ont quatre alnes de longur'' (“then he made ten bases, each four cubits long”).^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It names the lower part on which a thing rests, with many technical uses.^(DHLF 1992) In the 16th century it took from Latin the geometric sense (1549) and, abstractly, the fundamental principles of a system (1598); the sense “starting point” spread to the sciences in the 18th century, then to economics, linguistics and computing.^(DHLF 1992) The main ingredient of a medicine was its ''base'' in 1672, whence ''à base de''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary) In chemistry, after older alchemical uses, it has named since 1808 a substance that reacts with an acid to give a salt and water.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The military sense, territory that supplies and protects an army, appears metaphorically in 1834 and spread during the First World War (1918), whence ''base navale'' and the mountaineers' ''camp de base''.^(DHLF 1992) In 20th-century politics ''la base'' is the rank and file of a party (1933), and, from 1968 the workers as opposed to the party machine.^(DHLF 1992) [[baser]] dates from 1787 (once in 1613) and [[basique]] from the 16th century.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 12th century – ''Basse''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1160 – ''Base''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 1549 – Geometrical sense.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1598 – The principles of a system.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1672 – The main ingredient of a medicine.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1787 – ''Baser''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1808 – A chemical base.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1834 – A military base, metaphorically.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1933 – ''La base'' “the rank and file”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[m|en|base]], bottom part on which a thing rests: ''la base d'une colonne'', ''la base d'une montagne''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # A [[m|en|basis]], foundation, principle: ''jeter les bases de'', ''de base'', basic, ''à la base'', originally, at bottom.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # A main ingredient: ''à base de'', made from.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(military)'' A base: ''base navale'', ''camp de base'', base camp.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(chemistry)'' A base, a substance that reacts with an acid to form a salt.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(geometry, mathematics)'' A base.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''La base'': the rank and file (of a party or union).^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Base de données'': a [[m|en|database]].^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(baseball)'' A base.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[baser]]

+ * [[basique]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[basilaire]]

+ * [[grc|βάσις|tr=básis]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}