baseline

adjective

line in typography upon which most letters "sit" and below which descenders extend
survey line
information found at the beginning of a study in medicine or other initial known value which is used for comparison with later data
benchmark for measuring the budgetary effects of proposed changes in revenues and spending
agreed description in configuration management of the attributes of a product, at a point in time, which serves as a basis for defining change
the line from which the seaward limits of a state's territorial sea and certain other maritime zones of jurisdiction are measured; normally, a sea baseline follows the low-water line of a coastal state
the starting-point or control state of an entity, which is used for comparison

Pronunciation: /ˈbeɪslaɪn/

Etymology: From base + line.

A line that is a base for measurement or for construction.
“A laser level generates a convenient baseline for interior work.”
A datum used as the basis for calculation or for comparison.
“We used the last doctor visit to provide baselines for vital statistics.”
“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.”
A line used as the basis for the alignment of glyphs.
“Several characters typically have descenders below the lower baseline.”
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.”
A configuration of software, hardware, or a process that is established and documented as a point of reference.
“The baseline configuration includes unsupported components.”

Etymology: From base + line.

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.”
“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.”
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 …”