basic

/ˈbeɪsɪk/

/ˈbeɪsɪk/

Other forms: basics

What's basic is what's essential, at the root or base of things. If you've got a basic understanding of differential equations, you can handle simple problems but might get tripped up by more difficult ones.

You can also speak of the basics. If your kitchen is outfitted with just the basics, you've got some bowls and pots and pans, but you probably don't have an apple corer or a candy thermometer. If you're hitchhiking across the Gobi Desert, you'll want to have the basics of conversational Mongolian down. You've probably heard basic in chemistry class, too: it's the opposite of acidic. A basic solution has a pH greater than 7 and turns litmus paper blue.

Definitions of basic

1. adjective

   reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality
   “a basic story line”

   synonyms: canonic, canonical

   standard

   established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence
2. adjective

   pertaining to or constituting a base or basis
   “a basic fact”

   “the basic ingredients”

   “basic changes in public opinion occur because of changes in priorities”

   synonyms:

   basal, base

   serving as or forming a base

   elemental, elementary, primary

   of or being the essential or basic part

   foundational, fundamental, rudimentary, underlying

   being or involving basic facts or principles

   grassroots

   fundamental

   radical

   arising from or going to the root or source

   antonyms:

   incidental

   (sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence

   omissible

   capable of being left out

   parenthetic, parenthetical

   qualifying or explaining; placed or as if placed in parentheses

   peripheral

   related to the key issue but not of central importance

   secondary

   depending on or incidental to what is original or primary
3. adjective

   serving as a base or starting point
   “a basic course in Russian”

   “basic training for raw recruits”

   “a set of basic tools”

   synonyms: introductory

   first

   preceding all others in time or space or degree
4. noun

   (usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
   synonyms: staple

   type of:

   commodity, good, trade good

   articles of commerce
5. adjective

   of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base
   synonyms:

   alkalic, alkaline

   relating to or containing an alkali; having a pH greater than 7