basic

[bey-sik] /ˈbeɪ sɪk/

adjective

of, pertaining 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 8).

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

Military.

primary:
basic training.
of lowest rank:
airman 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.

Origin

1835-45; base¹ + -ic

Related forms

nonbasic, adjective

quasi-basic, adjective

Can be confused

basic, BASIC.

Synonyms

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

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

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

Can be confused

basic, BASIC.

Examples from the web for basics

Sometimes it's good to go back to basics and explain the ways in which scientists investigate prehistoric life.
Let's start with the basics of stocking your pantry.
Science, when you break it down to basics, is about trial and error.
Most people learn loops, rolls and spins as the basics.
The details may differ, but the basics of the story are true.
When it comes to the basics of toothbrushing, once you have brush with a decent head its all down to your scrubbing technique.
Tutorials show novice users the guitar basics, and then proceed to teach chord progression and chord recognition.
Well, for one thing, the show's focus is on teaching preschoolers the basics of math.
Biologists are still sorting out the basics of how to turn stem cells into regenerative therapies.
Netiquette, gives some good basics for presenting yourself well online.

British Dictionary definitions for basics

basic

/ˈbeɪsɪk/

adjective

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

elementary or simple: a few basic facts

excluding additions or extras: basic 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 radical: basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO3.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 initial: basic training

noun

(usually pl) a fundamental principle, fact, etc

BASIC

/ˈbeɪsɪk/

noun

a computer programming language that uses common English terms

Word Origin

C20: acronym of b(eginner's) a(ll-purpose) s(ymbolic) i(nstruction) c(ode)

Word Origin and History for 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).

basics in Medicine

basic ba·sic (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.

basics in Science

BASIC

(bā'sĭk)
A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.

Related Abbreviations for basics

BASIC

Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code