baseline

[ beys-lahyn ]

noun

1. Baseball. the area between bases base bases basis within which a base runner must keep when running from one base bases to another.
2. Tennis. the line at each end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the in-bounds limit of play.
3. (in perspective drawing) a horizontal line in the immediate foreground formed by the intersection of the ground plane and the picture plane.
4. a basic standard or level; guideline:

   to establish a baseline for future studies.

5. a specific value or values that can serve as a comparison or control.
6. Typography. the imaginary line on which the bottoms of primary letters align.
7. Surveying. triangulation1
8. Electronics. a horizontal or vertical line formed on the face of a cathode-ray tube by the sweep of the scanning dot.
9. Naval Architecture. a line on the body plan or sheer plan of a hull, representing a horizontal reference plane for vertical dimensions.

adjective

1. basic or essential.

baseline

/ ˈbeɪsˌlaɪn /

noun

1. surveying a measured line through a survey area from which triangulations are made
2. an imaginary line, standard of value, etc, by which things are measured or compared
3. a line at each end of a tennis court that marks the limit of play

Word History and Origins

Origin of baseline¹

First recorded in 1740–50; base ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

A slow start from the Slovakian, whose game revolves around power from the baseline, allowed Raducanu to move 5-1 ahead in the first set before becoming slightly passive as her opponent improved.

From BBC

After the repeal, the carryover effect of plastic bag purchases declined gradually and did not revert to the pre-policy baseline after 18 months, which was the end of the researchers' analysis time frame.

From Science Daily

In contrast, in people who already had good baseline working memory, the drug showed no effect.

From Science Daily

James made the first shot of the South Bay season, a baseline jumper similar to the one he made in Cleveland on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

“White” and “male” are not the universal “I” or the baseline of “humanity” and “normal.”

From Salon

Related Words

• control
• criterion
• guideline
• measure
• standard