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basic

[ bey-sik ]
/ ˈbeɪ sɪk /
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adjective
noun
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Origin of basic

First recorded in 1835–45; base1 + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM basic

non·ba·sic, adjectivequasi-basic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH basic

basic , BASIC

Other definitions for basic (2 of 2)

BASIC
[ bey-sik ]
/ ˈbeɪ sɪk /

noun Computers.
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.

Origin of BASIC

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH BASIC

basic, BASIC
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use basic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for basic (1 of 2)

basic
/ (ˈbeɪsɪk) /

adjective
noun
(usually plural) a fundamental principle, fact, etc

British Dictionary definitions for basic (2 of 2)

BASIC

Basic

/ (ˈbeɪsɪk) /

noun
a computer programming language that uses common English terms

Word Origin for BASIC

C20: acronym of b (eginner's) a (ll-purpose) s (ymbolic) i (nstruction) c (ode)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for basic

BASIC
[ bāsĭk ]

A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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