mindmap root((基础)) base implies an underlying element that supports or seems to support something material or immaterial: the ~ of a column. basis similar in meaning, is rarely used of material things and usually carries a more definite implication of support: used those facts as the ~ of her argument. foundation tends to imply solidity in what underlies and supports and fixity or stability in what is supported: the beliefs rested on a ~ of firm conviction. ground suggests solidity and is likely to imply a substratum comparable to the earth in its capacity to support and sometimes to justify: behavior that was ~ for dismissal. groundwork can apply to a substructure but is used chiefly in a figurative sense: laid the ~ for future negotiations.