Where does “base” come from?

Base comes from Latin basis, meaning "foundation" or "bottom," which derived from the same root as English bast and bass.

base (English): Something from which other things extend; a...

Definitions

  1. Something from which other things extend; a...

Ancestry of “base”, step by step

base traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English baas

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbaasAlternative form of bas; Alternative form of base
2Middle EnglishbasLow, short; lacking in height or altitude;...
3Old Frenchbaslow
4LatinBassusthick, fat, stumpy, short, low, base
5Ancient Greekβάσιςstep; rhythm; foot
6Proto-Hellenicgʷə́tisstep
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷémtisstep, act of walking
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷem-to step

via Middle English base

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbaseA foundation or base; the bottom of a building;...
2Old Frenchbasebase bottom part; supporting part
3LatinbasisA pedestal, foot, base; basis, foundation; The...
4Ancient Greekβᾰ́σῐςfoot; base, foundation

Words derived from “base”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- →