basic

¹ American  

[bey-sik] / ˈbeɪ sɪk /

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 American  

[bey-sik] / ˈbeɪ sɪk /

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 British  

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 (of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radical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

/ ˈbeɪsɪk /

noun

1. a computer programming language that uses common English terms

---

BASIC Scientific  

/ bā′sĭk /

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

---

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonbasic adjective
• quasi-basic adjective

Etymology

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)

Example Sentences

So, I’d stick with the basic plan, or at least start with the Basic plan and upgrade later.

From Salon

He will not only offer defensive cover, but has proved he can be an attacking weapon, albeit a very basic one, if it comes to a desperate search for a goal.

From BBC

Find insight on global fertilizer flows and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal

Carrick's view is if the basics are right and training hits the right levels, the intent provides more value than extended practice.

From BBC

"I tried them, they probably haven't worked for me and now it is time to strip back to the basics and be me."

From BBC

Related Words

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