What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

What is the difference between basic and base?

basic | base |

Base is a related term of basic.



In chemistry terms the difference between basic and base

is that basic is of or pertaining to a base; having a pH greater than 7 while base is any of a class of generally water-soluble compounds, having bitter taste, that turn red litmus blue, and react with acids to form salts.

In lang=en terms the difference between basic and base

is that basic is vapid, boring, or uncool while base is not held by honourable service.

As adjectives the difference between basic and base

is that basic is necessary, essential for life or some process while base is low in height; short.

As nouns the difference between basic and base

is that basic is a necessary commodity, a staple requirement while base is something from which other things extend; a foundation.

As a proper noun BASIC

is a family of third-generation programming languages (c.1964 on).

As a verb base is

to give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.

As an acronym base is

alternative form of BASE|lang=en.

basic

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Necessary, essential for life or some process.
    • Flour is a basic ingredient of bread.
  • Elementary, simple, fundamental, merely functional.
    • The Hotel Sparta’s accommodation is purely basic .
  • (chemistry) Of or pertaining to a base; having a pH greater than 7.
  • (slang) Vapid, boring, or uncool.
  • * 2011 , (Kreayshawn), "(Gucci Gucci)", (w, Somethin' 'Bout Kreay) :
    • Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada / Them basic bitches wear that shit, so I don't even bother
  • * 2013 , Sam Stryker, " Why Does Everyone Hate Anne Hathaway?", The Observer (University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College), Volume 46, Issue 101, 1 March 2013, page 11:
    • I'm not saying people are jealous of Hathaway because she is so perfect. Yes, she does have it all — husband, healthy career, good looks. But she doesn't do anything in an "awesome" way. She's basic .
  • * 2014 , Trevor Thrall, " Firing Line: Rowling says ‘JK,’ Ron and Hermione not meant to be", The Daily Campus (Southern Methodist University), Volume 99, Issue 54, 3 February 2014, page 4:
    • And what can be said about Ginny? She’s basic . My guess is that she spends her time drinking pumpkin spice lattes and watching “Pretty Little Liars.” The Chosen One is way out of her quidditch league.
  • *

    • Synonyms

    * See also * (chemistry) alkaline

    Antonyms

    * (chemistry) acidic

    Derived terms

    * basically * BASIC

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A necessary commodity, a staple requirement.
    • Rice is a basic for many Asian villagers.
  • An elementary building block, e.g. a fundamental piece of knowledge.
    • Arithmetic is a basic for the study of mathematics.
  • (military) Basic training.

    • Anagrams

    * ----

    base

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) base, from (etyl) basis, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something from which other things extend; a foundation.
  • # A supporting, lower or bottom component of a structure or object.
  • #* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=14 citation , passage=Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime. Their bases were on a level with the pavement outside, a narrow way which was several feet lower than the road behind the house.}}
  • The starting point of a logical deduction or thought; basis.
  • A permanent structure for housing military personnel and material.
  • The place where decisions for an organization are made; headquarters.
  • (cooking, painting, pharmacy) A basic but essential component or ingredient.
  • A substance used as a mordant in dyeing.
    • (Ure)
  • (lb) Foundation: a cosmetic cream to make the face appear uniform.
  • (chemistry) Any of a class of generally water-soluble compounds, having bitter taste, that turn red litmus blue, and react with acids to form salts.
  • Important areas in games and sports.
  • # A safe zone in the children's games of tag and hide-and-go-seek.
  • # (baseball) One of the three places that a runner can stand without being subject to being tagged out.
  • (architecture) The lowermost part of a column, between the shaft and the pedestal or pavement.
  • (biology, biochemistry) A nucleotide's nucleobase in the context of a DNA or RNA biopolymer.
  • (botany) The end of a leaf, petal or similar organ where it is attached to its support.
  • (electronics) The name of the controlling terminal of a bipolar transistor (BJT).
  • (geometry) The lowest side of a in a triangle or other polygon, or the lowest face of a cone, pyramid or other polyhedron laid flat.
  • (heraldiccharge) The lowest third of a shield or escutcheon.
  • (mathematics) A number raised to the power of an exponent.
    • The logarithm to base 2 of 8 is 3.
  • (mathematics) Alternative to radix.
  • (topology) The set of sets from which a topology is generated.
  • (topology) A topological space, looked at in relation to one of its covering spaces, fibrations, or bundles.
  • (cheerleading) A cheerleader who stays on the ground.
  • (linguistics) A morpheme (or morphemes) that serves as a basic foundation on which affixes can be attached.
  • (music)
  • * Dryden
    • The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar.
  • (military, historical) The smallest kind of cannon.
  • (heraldry) The lower part of the field. See escutcheon.
  • The housing of a horse.
  • (historical, in the plural) A kind of skirt (often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mailed armour) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
  • (obsolete) The lower part of a robe or petticoat.
  • (obsolete) An apron.
  • * Marston
    • bakers in their linen bases
  • A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles.
    • (Lyman)
    Synonyms
    * (chemical compound that will neutralize an acid) alkali
    Antonyms
    * (chemical compound that will neutralize an acid) acid * (end of a leaf) apex
    Derived terms
    * air base * base bag * baseball * baseband * baseboard * base box * base-burner * base camp * base censor * base coat * base color/base colour * base course * base exchange * base hospital * baseless * baselevel * baseline * basely * base load * baseman * basement * base molding/base moulding * base out * base over apex * baseperson * baseplate * base-player * base-playing * base point * base port * base radio * base rate * base ring * baserunner/base runner * base-running/baserunning * base ship * base shoot * base squadron * base station * base-stealer * base-stealing * base substitution * base table * base unit * base wallah * basewoman * counterbase * cover one's bases * database * debase * first base * freebase * home base * knowledge base * leuco-base * make first base * moonbase * off base * on base * power base * prisoner's base, prisoners' base * second base * subbase * surbase * third base * wheelbase
    Related terms
    * basal * basilar * embase, imbase

    Verb

    (bas)
  • To give as its foundation or starting point; to lay the foundation of.
  • *
    • Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
  • To be located (at a particular place).
    • Derived terms
    * -based * base on

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) bas, from .

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (obsolete) Low in height; short.
    • base shrubs
    (Shakespeare)
  • Low in place or position.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) Of low value or degree.
  • * , II.3:
    • If thou livest in paine and sorrow, thy base courage is the cause of it, To die there wanteth but will.
  • (archaic) Of low social standing or rank; vulgar, common.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • a pleasant and base swain
  • Morally reprehensible, immoral; cowardly.
  • * Robynson (More's Utopia)
    • a cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind
  • * Milton
    • base ingratitude
  • * {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
    • , title= , chapter=1 citation , passage=“Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it.
  • Inferior; unworthy, of poor quality.
  • Designating those metals which are not classed as (precious) or (noble).
  • Alloyed with inferior metal; debased.
    • base''' coin;  '''base bullion
  • (obsolete) Of illegitimate birth; bastard.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Why bastard? wherefore base ?
  • Not classical or correct.
    • base Latin
    (Fuller)
    • the base tone of a violin
  • (legal) Not held by honourable service.
    • A base''' estate is one held by services not honourable, or held by villenage. Such a tenure is called '''base''', or low, and the tenant is a '''base tenant.
    Usage notes
    * Said of fellows, motives, occupations, etc.
    Synonyms
    * bad, vile, malicious, destructive, reprehensible, knavish, evil
    Antonyms
    * likeable * desirable * admirable * noble
    Derived terms
    * base-born * base-bred * base coin * base estate * base fee * basely * base metal * base-minded * baseness * base-spirited * base tenant * base tenure * base-witted

    Etymology 3

    Probably a specific use of Etymology 1, above; perhaps also a development of the plural of (bar).

    Noun

    (-)
  • * Shakespeare
    • to run the country base
  • * 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , V.8:
    • So ran they all, as they had bene at bace , / They being chased that did others chase.

    Etymology 4

    Variant forms.

    Acronym

    (Acronym) (head)
    • Derived terms
    * base jumper * base jumping

    See also

    * (wikipedia "base") *

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    * * 1000 English basic words ----