Basis

How to spell basis

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce basis

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does basis mean?

1. nounThe underlying foundation, principle, or starting point on which something is established or done.

Basis in a sentence

• The report formed the basis for the new policy.

• Our staff are paid on a monthly basis.

Where does basis come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word came directly from the Greek basis, which literally meant 'a step' or 'a place to stand', built on the verb bainein, meaning 'to go' or 'to walk'. From the idea of where the foot is planted, the sense broadened to mean the foot of something, its pedestal, and then more abstractly its foundation or starting point. Latin borrowed the word unchanged as basis, keeping both the physical 'pedestal' meaning and the figurative 'foundation' meaning, and English took it from Latin in the late 1500s. The same Greek root sits behind the everyday word 'base', and English keeps that fuller Greek spelling here, which is why the word ends in the slightly unusual -sis rather than the plainer -se. The plural follows its Greek pattern too, shifting to 'bases', and that quiet change is worth remembering when the word is written.

How the word is built

• bas- (from Greek basis: a stepping, foundation)
• -is (Greek noun ending)