basement

[ beys-muhnt ]

noun

1. a story of a building, partly or wholly underground.
2. (in classical and Renaissance architecture) the portion of a building beneath the principal story, treated as a single compositional unit.
3. the lowermost portion of a structure.
4. the substructure of a columnar or arched construction.

basement

/ ˈbeɪsmənt /

noun

1. 1. a partly or wholly underground storey of a building, esp the one immediately below the main floor Compare cellar
   2. ( as modifier )

      a basement flat

2. the foundation or substructure of a wall or building
3. geology a part of the earth's crust formed of hard igneous or metamorphic rock that lies beneath the cover of soft sedimentary rock, sediment, and soil

Word History and Origins

Origin of basement¹

First recorded in 1720–30; base ¹ + -ment

Example Sentences

Marriott had a bucket station in her sister’s basement, where she immediately put her flowers after getting home from the market.

From Los Angeles Times

He had been especially keen on the premises because it was two doors down from Lloyds Bank and it had a basement the same depth as the bank's vault.

From BBC

All of which results in the women being forced into the inevitable basement/pit beloved of horror movies.

From Los Angeles Times

They have come out of their basements and sheds and garages to achieve a kind of stardom.

From Los Angeles Times

Agatha’s mental wall dropping and letting Billy in proves she has made great strides to being more than just the nosy neighbor with a rune-laden cave in her basement.

From Salon

Related Words

• cellar
• storage
• vault