noun

• The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.
• That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding.
• (figurative) The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop.
• (card games) In solitaire or patience games, one of the piles of cards that the player attempts to build, usually holding all cards of a suit in ascending order.
• (architecture) The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.
• A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.
• That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.
• (cosmetics) Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture.
• A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines.