Lewis & Short

† băsis, is and ĕos (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.

  1. 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.
    1. B. Trop.: bases virtutis, foundations, Vulg. Ecclus. 6, 30.
  2. 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.
  3. III. Esp.
    1. 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.
    2. B. In archit., the lowest part of the shaft of a column, Vitr. 4, 1, 6 (our pedestal is expressed by spira, q. v.).
    3. C. In gram., the primitive word, the root, Varr. ap. Non. p. 79, 33.
    4. D. Of cattle, a track, footprint, Veg. 1, 25, 6; 1, 26, 1; 1, 3, 46 al.