baseline

base·line

noun, often attributive \ˈbās-ˌlīn\

Definition of BASELINE

1

: a line serving as a basis; especially : one of known measure or position used (as in surveying or navigation) to calculate or locate something

2

a : either of the lines on a baseball field that lead from home plate to first base and third base and are extended into the outfield as foul lines

b : base path

3

: a boundary line at either end of a court (as in tennis or basketball)

4

: a usually initial set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control

5

: a starting point <the baseline of this discussion>

Examples of BASELINE

1. The experiment is meant only to provide a baseline for other studies.
2. <any year or event we use as the baseline for the Renaissance is going to be at least somewhat arbitrary>

First Known Use of BASELINE

1610

Related to BASELINE

Synonyms

alpha, beginning, birth, commencement, dawn, day one, genesis, get-go (also git-go), inception, incipience, incipiency, kickoff, launch, morning, nascence, nascency, onset, outset, start, threshold

Antonyms

close, conclusion, end, ending, omega

Related Words

drawing board, first base, ground zero, square one; creation, founding, inauguration, initiation, institution, origination; cradle, fountain, fountainhead, germ, origin, root, seedbed, source, spring, well, wellspring; dawning, opening; advent, appearance, arrival, debut (also début), emergence; childhood, infancy, youth

Near Antonyms

cessation, closing, closure, completion, finale, finish, period, stop, termination, windup

Rhymes with BASELINE

A-line, affine, airline, align, alkyne, alpine, assign, at sign, balkline, beeline, benign, bloodline, blue line, blush wine, bovine, bowline, branchline, breadline, bright-line, buntline, bustline, byline, call sign, canine, caprine, carbine, carmine, cervine, chow line, clothesline, cloud nine, coastline, combine, compline, condign, confine, consign, corvine, cosign, cutline, dateline, deadline, decline, define, design, divine, dragline, driveline, earthshine, Einstein, eiswein, end line, enshrine, entwine, equine, ethyne, fall line, fault line, feline, ferine, first-line, flatline, flight line, foul line, fräulein, frontline, front line, goal line, gold mine, grapevine, guideline, hairline, hard-line, hard pine, headline, hemline, high sign, hipline, Holbein, hotline, ice wine, incline, indign, in fine, in-line, Irvine, jawline, jug wine, landline, land mine, lang syne, lifeline, load line, longline, lupine, mainline, main line, malign, midline, moline, moonshine, neckline, off-line, old-line, online, opine, outline, outshine, ovine, Pauline, peace sign, Petrine, pipeline, piscine, pitch pine, plotline, plumb line, plus sign, pontine, porcine, potline, pound sign, propine, punch line, rapine, recline, redline, red pine, refine, reline, repine, resign, Rhine wine, ridgeline, roofline, Sabine, saline, Scotch pine, scrub pine, setline, shoreline, short line, sideline, sight line, skyline, snow line, soft-line, spring line, straight-line, strandline, straw wine, streamline, strip mine, strychnine, subline, sunshine, supine, syncline, taurine, tie-line, times sign, topline, touchline, towline, tramline, trapline, tree line, trephine, trotline, truckline, trunk line, tumpline, turbine, untwine, ursine, vespine, V sign, vulpine, waistline, white line, white pine, white wine, woodbine, yard line, zebrine, Z line

base·line

noun \ˈbā-ˌslīn\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of BASELINE

: a set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control