Basement

Basement is the lower story or floor of a building beneath the principal one. In ordinary houses the lower story is not called a basement unless partly below the surface of the ground. In larger buildings in which an architectural arrangement is introduced, the lower story, even if above the ground, is called a basement if in the composition it serves as a pedestal or substructure for the main order of the architecture.

⇒Definition of base

⇒See also the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.