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

Only known hunters were enrolled, and owners first tallied up every bird, mammal or other critter their cats brought home for seven weeks, to establish a baseline for each cat.

From Science News

It was 10 minutes before I saw any art, but that gave me time to feel my heart pumping and to register certain baseline realities — for example, the world is three-dimensional.

From Washington Post

Once you’ve played a few rounds and have a stronger grasp on how your first choice of ball performs when putting, with powerful long drives, and on different terrain, you’ll have a baseline for comparison with pro models.

From Popular-Science

Users fill out some brief fitness information on the web-based platform, outlining their goals and current baseline.

From TechCrunch

Leg press, for example, ends up about 70 percent higher than baseline.

From Outside Online

“There is a baseline agreement when it comes to campus rape: the current system is failing these students,” she added.

From The Daily Beast

Their borderline baseline distaste for a person they did not know had become a sport, and the off season was finally over.

From The Daily Beast

A system to ensure that providers have a baseline competency in the areas where they choose to practice makes sense to me.

From The Daily Beast

We can aim at an economy that makes dignity and security a baseline and lets people cut their paths from there.

From The Daily Beast

Women have learned to operate with a baseline level of fear, one that dips or peaks depending on our surroundings.

From The Daily Beast

On the 17th a baseline was laid down on the plateau, and Blake was able to commence his survey of the island.

From Project Gutenberg

With two tracers, separated on a baseline of a few million kilometers, we can plot position closely.

From Project Gutenberg

Anyway, he knocked it straight down the third baseline and fooled the Journals rivals, for their fielders were not on duty.

From Project Gutenberg

The crescent rests on a baseline formed by the slowly-proceeding line of women, children, and baggage-horses.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile his baseline had been extended twenty miles to the westto near Noyon.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• control
• criterion
• guideline
• measure
• standard