LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

basis

basis f (genitive basis or baseōs or basios)
Classical[ˈba.sɪs]Ecclesiastical[ˈbaː.s̬is]

Meaning

  1. femininea pedestal, foot, base
    aliquem cum basī suā mētīrīto give false measure, to estimate too high
    ... huic etiam Romae videmus in basi statuarum maximis litteris incisum, A COMMVNI SICILIAE DATAS.... we see in his honor, even in Rome, GIVEN BY THE COMMUNITY OF SICILY carved on the base of statues in huge letters.70 BCE, Cicero, In Verrem, volume 2.2, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2022, section 154:
  2. femininefigurativelya foundation
    ... et erunt tibi conpedes in protectionem fortitudinis et bases virtutis et torques illius in stolam gloriae ...... and its [wisdom's] fetters will become a strong protection and the foundations of virtue for you, and its chain will become a glorious robe ...c. 400 CE [c. 200–175 BCE], Ben Sira, translated by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus, Vulgate, translation of original in Biblical Hebrew, archived from the original on 11 Jul 2021, Sirach 6.30:
  3. femininethe base of a triangle, chord of an arc
  4. femininethe lowest part of the shaft of a column
  5. femininea primitive word, root
  6. femininea track, footprint (of cattle)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativebasisbasēs
baseis
genitivebasis
baseōs, basios		basium
dativebasībasibus
accusativebasim
basin, basem		basēs
basīs
ablativebase
basī		basibus
vocativebasis
basi		basēs
baseis

băsis, is and ĕos (
I. gen. basis, Vulg. 3 Reg. 7, 27; 7, 34: baseos, Vitr. 10, 15; acc. usu. basim, but BASEM, Inscr. Orell. 1263 al.: basidem, Ven. Fort. 8, 14; abl. usu. basi, but base, Treb. Pol. Gall. 18, 4; Inscr. Grut. 63, 3: BASIDE, ib. 16, 14; gen. plur. BASIVM, Inscr. Orell. 3272), f., = βάσις, a pedestal, foot, base.
I. In gen.: in basi statuarum, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 63, § 154; 2, 2, 66, § 160; 2, 4, 34, § 74; id. Phil. 9, 7, 16: quo (sc. ad sepulcrum) cum patefactus esset aditus, ad adversam basim accessimus, id. Tusc. 5, 23, 66: colossici Apollinis basis, Vitr. 10, 6: supra basim eriguntur regulae, id. 10, 13; Ov. P. 3, 2, 52; Phaedr. 2, epil. 2; Plin. 17, 25, 38, § 244; Suet. Vesp. 23; Inscr. Orell. 49; Vulg. Exod. 26, 19: villae, the foundation-wall, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 2, § 5.—
B. Trop.: bases virtutis, foundations, Vulg. Ecclus. 6, 30.—
II. In partic., prov.: aliquem cum basi suā metiri, to measure a pillar together with its pedestal, i. e. to give false measure, to estimate too high, Sen. Ep. 76, 31.—
III. Esp.
A. In math.: basis trianguli, the base of a triangle, Cic. N. D. 2, 49, 125: arcus, the chord of an arc, Col. 5, 2, 9; 3, 13, 12.—
B. In archit., the lowest part of the shaft of a column, Vitr. 4, 1, 6 (our pedestal is expressed by spira, q. v.).—
C. In gram., the primitive word, the root, Varr. ap. Non. p. 79, 33.—
D. Of cattle, a track, footprint, Veg. 1, 25, 6; 1, 26, 1; 1, 3, 46 al.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*gʷémtis
  3. Proto-Hellenic*gʷə́tis
  4. Latinbasis

Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)bor. Latin basis Borrowed from Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs, “stepping; step; foot; base; pedestal”).

Elsewhere
  • Catalanbase
  • Englishbasis
  • Englishbase
  • GermanBasis
  • GermanBasefrom German Basis
  • Italianbase
  • Frenchbasefrom Old French base
  • Portuguesebase
  • Spanishbase
  • Asturianbase
Norwegian
  • Norwegian Bokmålbasis
  • Norwegian Nynorskbasis
Serbo-Croatian
  • Cyrillicба́за
  • Latinbáza

Quick answers

What does basis mean in Latin?
basis, a noun, means “a pedestal, foot, base; the base of a triangle, chord of an arc; the lowest part of the shaft of a column”.
What is the genitive of basis?
The genitive singular is basis. basis is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce basis?
In classical Latin, [ˈba.sɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈbaː.s̬is].
Where does basis come from?
Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- → Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis → Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis → Latin basis.