noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Australian:/ˈbæɪ.sɪs/
rhymes with -eɪsɪs
CMU ARPABET:B EY1 S AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:B EY1 S IH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A physical base or foundation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
1695, William Congreve, To the King, on the taking of Namur, 1810, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Chalmers (biographies), The Works of the English Poets from Chaucer to Cowper, Volume 10, page 271, Beholding rocks from their firm basis rent; Mountain on mountain thrown, With threatening hurl, that shook th' aerial firmament!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A starting point, base or foundation for an argument or hypothesis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An underlying condition or circumstance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Allow us to compete on an equal basis.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A regular frequency.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
You should brush your teeth on a daily basis at minimum.
The flights to Fiji leave on a weekly basis.
Cars must be checked on a yearly basis.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The difference between the cash price a dealer pays to a farmer for his produce and an agreed reference price, which is usually the futures price at which the given crop is trading at a commodity exchange.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Included in the basis could be elevation, cleaning, freight by truck and/or rail, government inspection fees, administration fees, interest and storage charges as well as allowance for risk and profit for the grain dealer.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
In a vector space, a linearly independent set of vectors spanning the whole vector space.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: linear-algebra, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
Amount paid for an investment, including commissions and other expenses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: accounting, business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
A collection of subsets ("basis elements") of a set, such that this collection covers the set, and for any two basis elements which both contain an element of the set, there is a third basis element contained in the intersection of the first two, which also contains that element.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: mathematics, sciences, topology
Examples
The collection of all possible unions of basis elements of a basis is said to be the topology generated by that basis.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture
From Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis), from Proto-Indo-European *gwémtis, derived from Proto-Indo-European *gwem- (whence also come). Doublet of base.
Across languages
Translations
123 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Finnish:
pohja
— physical base or foundation
Finnish:
perusta
— physical base or foundation
Finnish:
perustus
— physical base or foundation
German:
Fundament
— physical base or foundation
Hebrew:
בסיס
(basís)
— physical base or foundation
Hindi:
नींव
(nī̃v)
— physical base or foundation
Hindi:
आधार
(ādhār)
— physical base or foundation
Italian:
fondamenta
— physical base or foundation
Kabuverdianu:
baze
— physical base or foundation
Kabuverdianu:
bazi
— physical base or foundation
Kyrgyz:
негиз
(negiz)
— physical base or foundation
Latin:
fundāmen
— physical base or foundation
Russian:
основа́ние
(osnovánije)
— physical base or foundation
Russian:
фунда́мент
(fundáment)
— physical base or foundation
Sanskrit:
धरुण
(dharuṇa)
— physical base or foundation
Spanish:
basa
— physical base or foundation
Spanish:
basamento
— physical base or foundation
Spanish:
basis
— physical base or foundation
Turkish:
temel
— physical base or foundation
Azerbaijani:
əsas
— starting point for an argument
Belarusian:
асно́ва
(asnóva)
— starting point for an argument
Bulgarian:
и́зходен пункт
(ízhoden punkt)
— starting point for an argument
Dutch:
basis
— starting point for an argument
Finnish:
lähtökohta
— starting point for an argument
Finnish:
peruste
— starting point for an argument
French:
base
— starting point for an argument
German:
Basis
— starting point for an argument
German:
Grundlage
— starting point for an argument
Greek:
βάση
(vási)
— starting point for an argument
Ancient Greek:
βάσις
(básis)
— starting point for an argument
Hindi:
आधार
(ādhār)
— starting point for an argument
Hungarian:
alap
— starting point for an argument
Italian:
base
— starting point for an argument
Japanese:
根拠
(konkyo)
— starting point for an argument
Kabuverdianu:
baze
— starting point for an argument
Kabuverdianu:
bazi
— starting point for an argument
Korean:
바탕
(batang)
— starting point for an argument
Persian:
اساس
(asâs)
— starting point for an argument
Polish:
podstawa
— starting point for an argument
Portuguese:
base
— starting point for an argument
Portuguese:
fundamento
— starting point for an argument
Romanian:
bază
— starting point for an argument
Russian:
осно́ва
(osnóva)
— starting point for an argument
Russian:
основа́ние
(osnovánije)
— starting point for an argument
Russian:
фунда́мент
(fundáment)
— starting point for an argument
Spanish:
basa
— starting point for an argument
Spanish:
fuste
— starting point for an argument
Spanish:
basamento
— starting point for an argument
Spanish:
basis
— starting point for an argument
Swedish:
grund
— starting point for an argument
Swedish:
basis
— starting point for an argument
Tagalog:
batayan
— starting point for an argument
Turkish:
temel
— starting point for an argument
Turkish:
dayanak
— starting point for an argument
Turkish:
asıl
— starting point for an argument
Ottoman Turkish:
تمل
(temel)
— starting point for an argument
Ukrainian:
осно́ва
(osnóva)
— starting point for an argument