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 (of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radical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

The machine allowed computer scientists at Dartmouth College to develop the programming language BASIC, which would be essential to the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s.

From Seattle Times

The machine allowed computer scientists at Dartmouth College to develop the programming language BASIC, which would be essential the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and 80s.

From Seattle Times

The new sign honors BASIC, Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, a programming language that was invited at Dartmouth College in 1964.

From The Verge

Surprise! website, all of the items — surprises — sit somewhere on a Pokemon-style rarity spectrum, from “ULTRA RARE” to “FABULOUS,” which may as well be “BASIC.”

From New York Times

Mr. Allen and Gates, bluffing, told Altair’s manufacturers they had already developed such a product, based on the programming language BASIC.

From Washington Post

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.