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basement Definition

base·ment (bās′mənt)

noun

  1. the foundation or lower part of a wall or structure
  2. the lowest story of a building, below the main floor and wholly or partly below the surface of the ground
  3. Geol. the oldest layer of igneous and metamorphic rocks in the crust of the earth, covered by layers of more recent, usually sedimentary rocks

Etymology: base + -ment

basement Synonyms

basement

n.

  1. A story wholly or partly below ground

    cellar, excavation, storage room, root cellar, wine cellar, furnace room, vault, subterranean apartment, crypt, bunker, subbasement, subcellar, cyclone cellar, storm cellar, cellarage.

  2. Foundation

    wall, footing, heavy construction; see foundation 2.

basement Usage Examples

Preposition: of

building: The café , in the basement of the building, is also well worth a visit.

Converse of object

  • vault: Vaulted basement with gun loops either side of gateway remains.
  • convert: I have begun the job of converting the basement into habitable space for a growing family!
  • occupy: He lived in these premises with the servants and staff occupying the basement.
  • fill: On the brighter side, my pest problems would be over if I filled the entire basement with CO2.

Adjective modifier

  • Paleozoic: Recession of the plateaux margins has exposed underlying Mesozoic strata and, in some areas, the Paleozoic basement.
  • dingy: The vinyl version is like being led down into a dingy basement, with the lights off.
  • Precambrian: The MT survey confirmed the existence of a Mesozoic sedimentary basin between lava flows and the Precambrian basement.
  • dank: What she delivers are simple, pretension free songs perfectly suited to a cold Monday evening in a dank basement.
  • crystalline: The southernmost mountain system of the Anti-Atlas thus consists of crystalline basement and Paleozoic sediments.
  • wet: Depending on where you live, you may be prone to having a wet basement.

Modifies a noun

  • membrane: The basement membrane is an example of extracellular matrix, the subject of the next lecture.
  • jaxx: Basement Jaxx are playing along with Roots Manuva, the two sole reasons for going.
  • reservoir: This production rate is likely to increase as White Tiger and Dragon fields are improved ( both fields producing from basement reservoirs ).
  • cellar: Their 13-year-old son Tony, who was in the back basement cellar, survived.
  • stair: I still canât do the laundry myself because I canât navigate the basement stairs yet.
  • stack: For folio books published earlier than 1970 please ask at the Enquiries Desk and they will be fetched for you from the basement stacks.

Noun used with modifier

  • bargain: Bargain Basement items are sold with a 30 day warranty only.
  • semi: They incorporated full air conditioning, atriums, glass wall climber lifts, fully accessible floors, basement and semi basement car parks.
  • museum: We are not interested in filling museum basements with ever more boxes of bric-a-brac.