basic

[bey-sik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR basic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or forming a base; fundamental: a basic principle; the basic ingredient.

Chemistry.

pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing a base.
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.
alkaline.

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).

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

Military.

primary: basic training.
of lowest rank: airman basic.

Slang.

(especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior: those basic girls who follow trends.
(of things) boringly predictable or unoriginal: His lyrics are just so basic.

noun

Military.

basic training.
a soldier or airman receiving basic training.

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.

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

Nearby words

Origin of basic

First recorded in 1835–45; base¹ + -ic

SYNONYMS FOR basic

1. elementary, essential, key, primary; basal; underlying.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR basic ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsnon·ba·sic, adjectivequa·si-ba·sic, adjective

Can be confusedbasic BASIC

BASIC

[bey-sik]

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)

Can be confusedbasic BASIC

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for basics

The men use the dolls to practice the basics of caring for babies.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Despite the obvious ongoing problems with disease and access to basics, the future of Africa is bright.
Silicon Valley Sets Its Sights on Africa|Christian Borys|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Spire, like most fountains, has the basics -- Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Brisk Iced Tea and SoBe Lifewater.
Font of Invention||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It may be time to kick these new age diet fads and get back to basics.
Helen Mirren Trains Like the Air Force; Kendall Jenner Denied Kim Kardashian at Her Shows|The Fashion Beast Team|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the new one has just got all the basics, the solid foundation, it stays afloat.
Can Linda Perry Save Music?|Kevin Fallon|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That was one of the basics they had lost, years ago—their belief that life would arise on any planet capable of supporting it.
An Empty Bottle|Mari Wolf
But they either can't, or won't, take the time to learn the basics of the field they want to excel in.
By Proxy|Gordon Randall Garrett
He sketched quickly on the layout pad, first in greys, then filling in with the three basics.
The Animated Pinup|Lewis Parker
All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
In some way both sets of basics operate in either conflict or compromise.
Unthinkable|Roger Phillips Graham

British Dictionary definitions for basics

basic

adjective

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

elementary or simplea few basic facts

excluding additions or extrasbasic pay

chem

of, denoting, or containing a base; alkaline
(of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radicalbasic lead carbonate, 2PbCO 3 .Pb ( OH ) 2

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

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

military primary or initialbasic training

noun

(usually plural) a fundamental principle, fact, etc

BASIC

Basic

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

Word Origin and History for basics

basics

"rudiments or fundamentals of anything," by 1934, from basic. Also see -ics. Phrase back-to-basics was in use by 1975.

basic

adj.

1832, originally in chemistry, from base (n.) + -ic.

BASIC

computer language, 1964, initialism for Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code; invented by Hungarian-born U.S. computer scientist John G. Kemeny (1926-1992) and U.S. computer scientist Thomas E. Kurtz (b.1928).

Medicine definitions for basics

basic

[bā′sĭk]

adj.

Of, being, or serving as a starting point or basis.

Producing, resulting from, or relating to a base.

Containing a base, especially in excess of acid.

Containing oxide or hydroxide anions.

Science definitions for basics

BASIC

[bā′sĭk]

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

basic

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of basic

BASIC

noun Computers.

Origin of BASIC

Examples from the Web for basics

basic

adjective

noun

BASIC

Basic

noun

Word Origin for BASIC

basics

basic

BASIC

basic

adj.

BASIC