| 1. | of, pertaining to, or forming a base; fundamental: a basic principle; the basic ingredient. |
| 2. | Chemistry.
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| 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. Compare acid (def. 8). |
| 4. | Geology. (of a rock) having relatively little silica. |
| 5. | Military.
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| 6. | Military.
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| 7. | 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. |
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.
| BASIC (bā'sĭk) Pronunciation Key
A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language. |