–noun

1.	the bottom support of anything; that on which a thing stands or rests: a metal base for the table.

2.	a fundamental principle or groundwork; foundation; basis: the base of needed reforms.

3.	the bottom layer or coating, as of makeup or paint.

4.	Architecture. a. the distinctively treated portion of a column or pier below the shaft or shafts. b. the distinctively treated lowermost portion of any construction, as a monument, exterior wall, etc.

5.	Botany, Zoology. a. the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment. b. the point of attachment.

6.	the principal element or ingredient of anything, considered as its fundamental part: face cream with a lanolin base; paint with a lead base.

7.	that from which a commencement, as of action or reckoning, is made; a starting point or point of departure.

8.	Baseball. a. any of the four corners of the diamond, esp. first, second, or third base. Compare home plate. b. a square canvas sack containing sawdust or some other light material, for marking first, second, or third base.

9.	a starting line or point for runners, racing cars, etc.

10.	(in hockey and other games) the goal.

11.	Military. a. a fortified or more or less protected area or place from which the operations of an army or an air force proceed. b. a supply installation for a large military force.

12.	Geometry. the line or surface forming the part of a figure that is most nearly horizontal or on which it is supposed to stand.

13.

Mathematics. a. the number that serves as a starting point for a logarithmic or other numerical system. b. a collection of subsets of a topological space having the property that every open set in the given topology can be written as the union of sets of the collection. c. a collection of neighborhoods of a point such that every neighborhood of the point contains one from the collection. d. a collection of sets of a given filter such that every set in the filter is contained in some set in the collection.

14.	Also called base line. Surveying. See under triangulation (def. 1).

15.	Painting. a. vehicle (def. 10). b. Also called carrier. inert matter, used in the preparation of lakes, onto which a coloring compound is precipitated.

16.	Photography. a thin, flexible layer of cellulose triacetate or similar material that holds the light-sensitive film emulsion and other coatings, esp. on motion-picture film.

17.

Chemistry. a. a compound that reacts with an acid to form a salt, as ammonia, calcium hydroxide, or certain nitrogen-containing organic compounds. b. the hydroxide of a metal or of an electropositive element or group. c. a group or molecule that takes up or accepts protons. d. a molecule or ion containing an atom with a free pair of electrons that can be donated to an acid; an electron-pair donor. e. any of the purine and pyrimidine compounds found in nucleic acids: the purines adenine and guanine and the pyrimidines cytosine, thymine, and uracil.

18.	Grammar. the part of a complex word, consisting of one or more morphemes, to which derivational or inflectional affixes may be added, as want in unwanted or biolog- in biological. Compare root 1 (def. 11), stem 1 (def. 16).

19.	Linguistics. the component of a generative grammar containing the lexicon and phrase-structure rules that generate the deep structure of sentences.

20.	Electronics. a. an electrode or terminal on a transistor other than the emitter or collector electrodes or terminals. b. the part of an incandescent lamp or electron tube that includes the terminals for making electrical connection to a circuit or power supply.

21.	Stock Exchange. the level at which a security ceases a decline in price.

22.	Heraldry. the lower part of an escutcheon.

23.	bases, Armor. a tonlet formed of two shaped steel plates assembled side by side.

24.	Jewelry. pavilion (def. 6).

25.	in base, Heraldry. in the lower part of an escutcheon.

–adjective

26.	serving as or forming a base: The walls will need a base coat and two finishing coats.

–verb (used with object)

27.	to make or form a base or foundation for.

28.	to establish, as a fact or conclusion (usually fol. by on or upon): He based his assumption of her guilt on the fact that she had no alibi.

29.	to place or establish on a base or basis; ground; found (usually fol. by on or upon): Our plan is based on a rising economy.

30.	to station, place, or situate (usually fol. by at or on): He is based at Fort Benning. The squadron is based on a carrier.

–verb (used without object)

31.	to have a basis; be based (usually fol. by on or upon): Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.

32.	to have or maintain a base: I believe they had based on Greenland at one time.

—Idioms

33.	get to first base. first base (def. 2).

34.	off base, a. Baseball. not touching a base: The pitcher caught him off base and, after a quick throw, he was put out by the second baseman. b. Informal. badly mistaken: The police were way off base when they tried to accuse her of the theft.

35.	on base, Baseball. having reached a base or bases: Two men are on base.

36.	touch base with, to make contact with: They've touched base with every political group on campus.

–noun

1.	a piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price: She gave him the job of mowing the lawn.

2.	a post of employment; full-time or part-time position: She was seeking a job as an editor.

3.	anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility: It is your job to be on time.

4.	an affair, matter, occurrence, or state of affairs: to make the best of a bad job.

5.	the material, project, assignment, etc., being worked upon: The housing pr 3e8 oject was a long and costly job.

6.	the process or requirements, details, etc., of working: It was a tedious job.

7.	the execution or performance of a task: She did a good job.

8.	Slang. a theft or similar criminal action: The police caught the gang that pulled that bank job.

9.	a public or official act or decision carried through for the sake of improper private gain.

10.	Slang. an example of a specific or distinctive type: That little six-cylinder job was the best car I ever owned.

11.	Computers. a unit of work for a computer, generally comprising an application program or group of related programs and the data, linkages, and instructions to the operating system needed for running the programs.

–verb (used without object)

12.	to work at jobs or odd pieces of work; work by the piece.

13.	to do business as a jobber.

14.	to turn public business, planning, etc., improperly to private gain.

–verb (used with object)

15.	to assign or give (work, a contract for work, etc.) in separate portions, as among different contractors or workers (often fol. by out): He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits.

16.	to buy in large quantities, as from wholesalers or manufacturers, and sell to dealers in smaller quantities: He jobs shoes in Ohio and Indiana.

17.	to get rid of or dispose of: His party jobbed him when he sought a second term in office.

18.	to swindle or trick (someone): They jobbed him out of his property.

19.	to carry on (public or official business) for improper private gain.

–adjective

20.	of or for a particular job or transaction.

21.	bought, sold, or handled together: He's too big a customer to buy in less than job quantities.

—Idioms

22.	do a job on, Slang. a. to destroy, defeat, damage, or confound thoroughly: The thugs did a job on him—he'll be in the hospital for a month. b. to deceive, persuade, or charm glibly; snow.

23.	on the job, alert; observant: The cops were on the job and caught them red-handed.