| 1. | of the first or highest quality, class, or rank: a classic piece of work. |
| 2. | serving as a standard, model, or guide: the classic method of teaching arithmetic. |
| 3. | of or pertaining to Greek and Roman antiquity, esp. with reference to literature and art. |
| 4. | modeled upon or imitating the style or thought of ancient Greece and Rome: The 17th and 18th centuries were obsessed with classic ideals. |
| 5. | of or adhering to an established set of artistic or scientific standards or methods: a classic example of mid-Victorian architecture. |
| 6. | basic; fundamental: the classic rules of warfare. |
| 7. | of enduring interest, quality, or style: a classic design; classic clothes. |
| 8. | of literary or historical renown: the classic haunts of famous writers. |
| 9. | traditional or typical: a classic comedy routine. |
| 10. | definitive: the classic reference work on ornithology. |
| 11. | of or pertaining to automobiles distinguished by elegant styling, outstanding engineering, and fine workmanship that were built between about 1925 and 1948. |
| 12. | an author or a literary work of the first rank, esp. one of demonstrably enduring quality. |
| 13. | an author or literary work of ancient Greece or Rome. |
| 14. | classics, the literature and languages of ancient Greece and Rome (often prec. by the). |
| 15. | an artist or artistic production considered a standard. |
| 16. | a work that is honored as definitive in its field: His handbook on mushrooms is a classic. |
| 17. | something noteworthy of its kind and worth remembering: His reply was a classic. |
| 18. | an article, as of clothing, unchanging in style: Her suit was a simple classic. |
| 19. | a typical or traditional event, esp. one that is considered to be highly prestigious or the most important of its kind: The World Series is the fall classic of baseball. |
| 20. | Archaic. a classicist. |
classic jargon
An adjective used before or after a noun to describe the original version of something, especially if the original is considered to be better.
Examples include "Star Trek Classic" - the original TV series as opposed to the films, ST The Next Generation or any of the other spin-offs and follow-ups; or "PC Classic" - IBM's ISA-bus computers as opposed to the PS/2 series.
(1996-10-27)