[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/basic/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [B](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/b/) / basic

# basic

adjective (basic, more basic, most basic); noun (the basics)

«basic» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Basic means simple and the most important, the first part that everything else is built on: basic facts, basic skills. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#m1)
2. Basic means plain, without extras: a basic phone, a basic room. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#m2)
3. Basic needs are things everyone must have to live, like food, water, shelter and safety. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#m3)
4. In chemistry, basic means alkaline, the opposite of acidic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#m4)

### In the lessons

In maths, «basic facts» are simple sums and times tables you know by heart; you learn the basics before hard problems. In citizenship and science lessons, living things have basic needs. In everyday life, a basic version of a product has fewer features. Phrases: «the basics», «basic needs», «basic skills», «back to basics», «basic first aid».

### Examples

- Learn the basic facts first: 6 × 7 = 42. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x1)
- Food, water and shelter are basic needs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x2)
- We learned the basics of first aid. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x3)
- The cabin was very basic, with no electricity. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x4)
- This is a basic phone with no internet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x5)
- Reading is a basic skill for every subject. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x6)
- Let's go back to basics and practise adding. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x7)
- Soap is basic, and lemon juice is acidic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/#x8)

### Note

Adverb: basically (often just used as a filler: «Basically, I forgot»). Spelling: basIc (not «basick»). «The basics» is always plural.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «basic» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/basic/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«basic» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/basic.html) on Mova free.