Main Entry: ba·sis

Pronunciation: \ˈbā-səs\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural ba·ses \-ˌsēz\

Etymology: Latin — more at base

Date: 14th century

1 : the bottom of something considered as its foundation
2 : the principal component of something
3 a : something on which something else is established or based b : an underlying condition or state of affairs <hired on a trial basis> <on a first-name basis>
4 : the basic principle
5 : a set of linearly independent vectors in a vector space such that any vector in the vector space can be expressed as a linear combination of them with appropriately chosen coefficients