See groundwork in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
The lowest or supporting part or structure:
base1, basis, bed, bottom, foot, footing, foundation, fundament, ground, seat, substratum, underpinning (often used in plural). See overThat on which something immaterial, such as an argument or a charge, rests:
base1, basis, footing, foundation, fundament, ground (often used in plural), underpinning (often used in plural). See over
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