baseline meaning

• Noun: baseline  'beys`lIn
  1. An imaginary line or standard by which things are measured or compared
     "the established a baseline for the budget" 
  2. The back line bounding each end of a tennis or handball court; when serving the server must not step over this line
     - service line 
  3. The lines a baseball player must follow while running the bases

  Derived forms: baselines

  Type of: criterion, line, measure, standard, touchstone

  Encyclopedia: Baseline

• 
  [Economics]
  A projection of how the economy will develop if existing trend and policies continue unchanged. model of the economy may be based on theory, econometrics, or some combination of these. Before it is possible to calculate the effects of changing any aspect of nature, technology, or economic policies, it is necessary to construct a baseline projection. This tracks the future of the economy if present levels or trends in natural phenomena, technology, and economic policy continue unchanged. Any calculation of the predicted effects of changes in nature, such as oil discoveries, changes in technology, or changes in official policies such as tax rates, tariffs, or interest rates, is then conducted in terms of the predicted departure of the economy from the baseline projection.
• 
  [Finance]
  A benchmark used as a basis for comparison.
• 
  [Law]
  n. The line forming the boundary between the INTERNAL WATERS of a state on its landward side and the territorial sea on its seaward side (see TERRITORIAL WATERS). Other coastal state zones (the contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, and exclusive fishing zone) are measured from the baseline.

[Medicine]
n : a set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control

• 
  [Computer]
  release

• baseline costs:    [Defence] The cont ...
• baseline stabilizer:    [Electronics]A cla ...
• baseline survey:    [Medicine]Systemat ...

Examples

1. shear force diagrams are drawn in the manner indicated, with negative shears below the baseline.
2. the earth moving around the sun gives us a baseline for measurements of objects outside the solar system.
3. displays baseline dates, work, and costs
4. change baseline information for one or more tasks
5. to calculate the height above the baseline, use the