βάσις

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *gʷə́tis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis, from the root *gʷem- (“step”). By surface analysis, βαίνω (baínō, “to walk, step”) +‎ -σῐς (-sĭs, nominal suffix).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bá.sis/ → /ˈβa.sis/ → /ˈva.sis/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bá.sis/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈba.sis/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβa.sis/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈva.sis/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈva.sis/

Noun

βᾰ́σῐς • (bắsĭs) f (genitive βᾰ́σεως); third declension

1. stepping, step; (collective) steps
2. measured step or movement; rhythmical or metrical movement
   1. (rhetoric) rhythmical close of a sentence; clause forming transition from protasis to apodosis
   2. (prosody) metrical unit, monometer
3. foot, leg
4. base, pedestal; foundation, basement
   • 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 14.1.14:

     τρία Μύρωνος ἔργα κολοσσικὰ ἱδρυμένα ἐπὶ μιᾶς βάσεως

     of these, three of colossal size, the work of Myron, stood upon one base

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

5. (geometry) base of a solid or plane figure
6. position, fixedness

   Antonym: φορᾱ́ (phorā́)

7. (astrology) horoscope

   Synonym: ὡροσκόπος (hōroskópos)

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

Inflection

Third declension of ἡ βᾰ́σῐς; τῆς βᾰ́σεως (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ βᾰ́σῐς hē bắsĭs	τὼ βᾰ́σει tṑ bắsei	αἱ βᾰ́σεις hai bắseis
Genitive	τῆς βᾰ́σεως tês bắseōs	τοῖν βᾰσέοιν toîn băséoin	τῶν βᾰ́σεων tôn bắseōn
Dative	τῇ βᾰ́σει tēî bắsei	τοῖν βᾰσέοιν toîn băséoin	ταῖς βᾰ́σεσῐ / βᾰ́σεσῐν taîs bắsesĭ(n)
Accusative	τὴν βᾰ́σῐν tḕn bắsĭn	τὼ βᾰ́σει tṑ bắsei	τᾱ̀ς βᾰ́σεις tā̀s bắseis
Vocative	βᾰ́σῐ bắsĭ	βᾰ́σει bắsei	βᾰ́σεις bắseis
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• ᾰ̓κρόβᾰσῐς (ăkróbăsĭs)
• ᾰ̓μφῐ́βᾰσῐς (ămphĭ́băsĭs)
• ᾰ̓νάβᾰσῐς (ănábăsĭs)
• ᾰ̓ντῐ́βᾰσῐς (ăntĭ́băsĭs)
• ᾰ̓πόβᾰσῐς (ăpóbăsĭs)
• βᾰσείδῐον (băseídĭon)
• δῐᾰ́βᾰσῐς (dĭắbăsĭs)
• εἴσβᾰσῐς (eísbăsĭs)
• ἔκβᾰσῐς (ékbăsĭs)
• ἔμβᾰσῐς (émbăsĭs)
• ἐπῐ́βᾰσῐς (epĭ́băsĭs)
• κᾰτᾰ́βᾰσῐς (kătắbăsĭs)
• λεοντόβᾰσῐς (leontóbăsĭs)
• λῐθόβᾰσῐς (lĭthóbăsĭs)
• μετᾰ́βᾰσῐς (metắbăsĭs)
• πᾰρᾰ́βᾰσῐς (părắbăsĭs)
• περῐ́βᾰσῐς (perĭ́băsĭs)
• πρόβᾰσῐς (próbăsĭs)
• πρόσβᾰσῐς (prósbăsĭs)
• σῠ́μβᾰσῐς (sŭ́mbăsĭs)
• ῠ̔πέρβᾰσῐς (hŭpérbăsĭs)
• ῠ̔πόβᾰσῐς (hŭpóbăsĭs)

Descendants

Descendants

• Greek: βάση (vási)
• → Hebrew: בָּסִיס (basís)
• ⇒ Italian: abasia
• → Latin: basis (see there for further descendants)
• → Latin: bassus (perhaps) (see there for further descendants)

References

• “βάσις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Further reading

• “βάσις”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• βάσις in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001), A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• βάσις in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “βάσις”, in Slater, William J. (1969), Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G939 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • base idem, page 64.
  • bottom idem, page 90.
  • foot idem, page 333.
  • foot-step idem, page 334.
  • foundation idem, page 341.
  • movement idem, page 545.
  • pace idem, page 588.
  • stand idem, page 810.
  • step idem, page 815.
  • stride idem, page 825.
  • tramp idem, page 887.
  • tread idem, page 891.