Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “baseline” come from?

Baseline comes from English base and English line, with base deriving from Latin basis meaning "foundation" or "support."

baseline (English): A line that is a base for measurement or for...

Definitions

  1. A line that is a base for measurement or for...

Ancestry of “baseline”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBase—
2Middle EnglishbaseA foundation or base; the bottom of a building;...
3Old Frenchbasebase
4LatinbasisA pedestal, foot, base; basis, foundation; The...
5Ancient Greekβάσιςstep; rhythm; foot
6Proto-Hellenicgʷə́tisstep
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷémtisstep, act of walking
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷem-to step

Words derived from “baseline”

  • rebaseline
  • baseliner
  • postbaseline
  • nonbaseline
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- →