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. Compare acid ( def 9 ).
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 /

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 (of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radical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

²

/ ˈbeɪsɪk /

noun

1. a computer programming language that uses common English terms

BASIC

/ bā′sĭk /

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

Other Words From

• non·basic adjective
• quasi-basic 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

If you spend much time in the woods, these basic builds will make life in the backcountry much easier.

From Popular-Science

There’s always a pivotal voter somewhere, and always a basic contestation between the principles of the left and the right.

From Vox

We lead the world in innovation and technology, all for a simple, basic reason.

From Washington Post

Here are some basic shortcuts that can help navigate it better.

From Popular-Science

You will be asked to provide a few basic details as well as verify your ownership.

From Search Engine Land

We were barely into the appetizer when he asked a fairly basic question—where did my family live?

From The Daily Beast

The training, at least as described by the U.S. military, is incredibly basic.

From The Daily Beast

Nothing in it was meant to change the basic operations of the capitalist economy or to intervene aggressively in class relations.

From The Daily Beast

And yet—as any private who went through basic can tell you—good weapons training means not shooting wildly 14 times.

From The Daily Beast

I was put in a solitary confinement completely cut off from the outside world without even enjoying basic prisoner rights.

From The Daily Beast

Nuclei and certain other structures in the blood are stained by the basic dyes, and are hence called basophilic.

From Project Gutenberg

What we call curiosity in the ape is the basic form of the characteristic which we call attention or observation in man.

From Project Gutenberg

The carbonates are occasionally partially hydrolyzed to basic carbonates.

From Project Gutenberg

It is thus evident, that the solvent action of ammonium hydroxide is not due to its basic functions.

From Project Gutenberg

With each new draft we added more to the basic information we had, rounding out the invention in ever greater detail.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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

About This Word

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.

Where did the term basic come from?

According to Green’s Dictionary of Slang, basic emerges as slang for someone or something as being “unexciting, unexceptional, or uneventful” in the 1970s. This is an outgrowth of the negative sense of basic as “plain and simple”

The slang especially stuck to women. In their 1984 song “Meeting in the Ladies Room,” the R&B girl group Klymaxx call a woman basic for making moves on another’s boyfriend.

The 2000s saw the rise of the term basic b*tch, or a woman who is uninteresting and mainstream in her tastes, interests, style, or personality. Comedian Lil Duval had a 2009 video about the basic b*tch. The 2011 song “Gucci Gucci” by Kreayshawn features the hook: “And we stunting like / Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada / Basic b*tches wear that shit so I don’t even bother.”

Basic has since become associated with unlikeable, predictable, and ordinary things, especially associated with young white women.

How to use the term basic

While basic can describe anyone or anything considered disagreeably mainstream, it especially insults, as noted, young white women. As basic and basic b*tch spread in popular culture, some women aren’t oblivious to their supposed basic-ness but ironically embrace it.

i’m so basic. idc pic.twitter.com/8JJZEAr1I4

— | hannah rickard | (@rickardhannah) September 8, 2018

Has anyone seen my Gucci belt? I’m thinking of being more basic than usual tonight

— allie (@alleiigh) September 8, 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.