Dictionary

baseline en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbeɪslaɪn/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From base + line.

Meanings

1. A line that is a base for measurement or for construction.
   • A laser level generates a convenient baseline for interior work.
2. A datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison.
   • Currently, about fifty million square miles of land on the planet are ice-free, and this is the baseline that's generally used for calculating human impacts. 2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Picador, →ISBN, page 176:
   • We used the last doctor visit to provide baselines for vital statistics.
3. A line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs.
   • Several characters typically have descenders below the lower baseline.
4. The line at the farthest ends of the court indicating the boundary of the area of play.
   • The umpire missed the call. The ball hit the baseline.
5. A configuration of software, hardware, or a process that is established and documented as a point of reference.
   • The baseline configuration includes unsupported components.
6. An initial measurement or observation used as a reference point to compare future changes.

Forms

Coordinates

beardline · capline · topline · midline

Deriveds

baseliner · rebaseline · baseline driver · baseline game · baselined · shifting baseline syndrome · very-long-baseline interferometry · nonbaseline · prebaseline · postbaseline

Hypernyms

line

Translations (59)

cmn 基綫 /基线 (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · es línea referencial (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · it riferimento (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · eo bazlinio (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · de Grundlinie (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · es punto referencial (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · fr ligne de fond (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · de Grundlinie (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · es línea basal (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · ga bunlíne (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · es línea de fondo (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · ga bonnlíne (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · gv bun-linney (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · fi takaraja (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · de Bezugslinie (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · hu alapvonal (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · de Startwert (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · de Bezugswert (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · cs účaří (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · fi peruslinja (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · es punto de referencia (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · ru базовая линия (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · gv bun-linney (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · de Basiswert (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · fi lähtökohta (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · ga bunlíne (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · fr référence (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · cmn 底线 (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · de Basislinie (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · ru линия шрифта (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · de Grundlinie (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · fi perusviiva (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · de Ausgangsbasis (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · es referencia (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · pt referência (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · es línea de base (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · de Schriftlinie (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · fa خط کرسی (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · de Ausgangswert (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · de Ausgangslage (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · de Basisszenario (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · de Basallinie (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · sv baslinje (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · de Basislinie (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · de Grundwerte (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · de Grundlage (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · ga bonnlíne (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · ga bunlíne (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · es línea base (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · io bazolineo (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · fi vertailukohta (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · de Vergleichsbasis (engineering: something established and documented as a point of reference) · de Bezugspunkt (datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison) · eo baza linio (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · fi jalkalinja (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · gv bun-linney (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs) · fr ligne de fond de court (tennis: chalk line at the farthest ends of the court) · ga bunlíne (line that is a base for measurement or for construction) · ga bonnlíne (typography: line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs)

baseline en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈbeɪslaɪn/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From base + line.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To provide a baseline for measurement.
   • Finally, the test was baselined by evaluating the best and poorest catalysts of their respective types by this protocol. 1993, M.M. Mitchell et al., “Residual Feed Cracking Catalysts”, in Magee & Mitchell, editors, Fluid Catalytic Cracking, →ISBN, page 320:
   • To ensure Lojban remains stable while people learn it, the language definition is being closely controlled; the grammar and core vocabulary have already been baselined (frozen) for several years. 2025 October 14 (last accessed), “Chapter 1. Questions and Answers on Lojban”, in lojban.org:
2. (intransitive) To play from the baseline.
   • By the time Maggie, who is eight years younger than Manuela, started playing, baselining was no longer enough to win points, so she learned to move around the court more … 2002, Susan Orlean, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup, →ISBN, page 260:

Forms