basic

¹

[bey-sik]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or forming a base; fundamental.

   a basic principle; the basic ingredient.

   Synonyms: underlying, basal, primary, key, essential, elementary

2. Chemistry.

   1. pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing a base. bases.

   2. not having all of the hydroxyls of the base replaced by the acid group, or having the metal or its equivalent united partly to the acid group and partly to oxygen.

   3. alkaline.

3. Metallurgy.,  noting, pertaining to, or made by a steelmaking process basic process in which the furnace or converter is lined with a basic or nonsiliceous material, mainly burned magnesite and a small amount of ground basic slag, to remove impurities from the steel.

4. Geology.,  (of a rock) having relatively little silica.

5. Military.

   1. primary.

      basic training.

   2. of lowest rank.

      airman basic.

6. Slang.

   1. (especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior.

      those basic girls who follow trends.

   2. (of things) boringly predictable or unoriginal.

      His lyrics are just so basic.

noun

1. Military.

   1. basic training.

   2. a soldier or airman receiving basic training.

2. Often basics. something that is fundamental or basic; an essential ingredient, principle, procedure, etc..

   to learn the basics of music; to get back to basics.

3. Slang.,  a person, especially a female, who is boringly predictable or unoriginal.

BASIC

²

[bey-sik]

noun

Computers.

1. a widely adopted programming language that uses English words, punctuation marks, and algebraic notation to facilitate communication between the operator or lay user and the computer.

BASIC

¹

/ ˈbeɪsɪk /

noun

1. a computer programming language that uses common English terms

basic

²

/ ˈbeɪsɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or forming a base or basis; fundamental; underlying

2. elementary or simple

   a few basic facts

3. excluding additions or extras

   basic pay

4. chem

   1. of, denoting, or containing a base; alkaline

   2. (of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radical

      basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO3.Pb(OH)2

5. metallurgy of, concerned with, or made by a process in which the furnace or converter is made of a basic material, such as magnesium oxide

6. (of such igneous rocks as basalt) containing between 52 and 45 per cent silica

7. military primary or initial

   basic training

noun

1. (usually plural) a fundamental principle, fact, etc

BASIC

1. A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.

Other Word Forms

• nonbasic adjective
• quasi-basic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of basic¹

First recorded in 1835–45; base ¹ + -ic

Origin of basic²

First recorded in 1965–70; B(eginner's) A(ll-purpose) S(ymbolic) I(nstruction) C(ode)

Word History and Origins

Origin of basic¹

C20: acronym of b ( eginner's ) a ( ll-purpose ) s ( ymbolic ) i ( nstruction ) c ( ode )

Example Sentences

“You want to address the deficit in kindergarten and follow it so you can make sure kids aren’t going to middle school without these basic skills,” Zoroya said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It also once again rejected as "fake news" accusations that the activists were mistreated and denied basic rights while in detention.

Read more on BBC

Pictures of basic meals and dirty mattresses have been sent to the BBC by charities and asylum seekers at Clearsprings sites with claims residents had been served uncooked chicken and food which was still frozen.

Read more on BBC

For many Bangladeshis, particularly the young people who led last year's uprising, ensuring basic freedoms will be a key test for the country's next government.

Read more on BBC

Training lasts four to six weeks and includes language instruction so foreigners can follow basic commands in Russian.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• elemental 
• essential 
• key 
• main 
• necessary 
• primary 
• primitive 
• underlying 
• vital 

When To Use

What else does basic mean?

In slang, basic characterizes someone or something as unoriginal, unexceptional, and mainstream. A basic girl—or basic b*tch as she is often insulted—is said to like pumpkin spice lattes, UGG boots, and taking lots of selfies, for instance.