base camp

noun

variants or less commonly basecamp

ˈbās-ˌkamp 

plural base camps also basecamps

: a place that serves as the starting point or staging area for an expedition or endeavor and that is usually equipped with shelter and supplies

… he set up a base camp, and went off to work in the mountains.

—John McPhee

I arrived at Denali's base camp, Kahiltna, on June 2. This is where I began my climb.

—Merrick Johnston

Making my base camp on a small island, I followed the pods … and collected dozens of tapes of their underwater vocal exchanges …

—John K. B. Ford

Southern California Edison is using the entire north parking lot as its basecamp to restore power to those in the affected areas.

—The Associated Press

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above