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1. Reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality
   "a basic story line";
   - canonic, canonical
    
2. 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"
    
3. Serving as a base or starting point
   "a basic course in Russian"; "basic training for raw recruits"; "a set of basic tools";
   - introductory
    
4. (chemistry) of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base
    
5. (chemistry) relating to or containing an alkali; having a pH greater than 7
   "basic soils derived from chalk or limestone";
   - alkaline, alkalic

1. (usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
   - staple

1. A popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use

Derived forms: basics

See also: 1st, alcalescent, alkalescent, basal, base, base-forming, elemental, elementary, first, fundamental, grassroots, primary, radical, rudimentary, saltlike, standard, underlying

Type of: commodity, good, programing language [US], programming language, trade good

Antonym: incident

Encyclopedia: Basic, Mississippi