Basics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The essential knowledge or skills that provide a foundation for understanding a subject
2. The primary elements or principles necessary for mastering a discipline or topic
3. The essential fundamentals that form the foundation of knowledge or skills in any field

Etymology: "Basics" is the plural of "basic," and the surprise lies in how far the word's base travels. The noun "base" comes ultimately from Ancient Greek "basis," meaning a step or a pedestal, a thing you stand or walk on. The Greek word passed into Latin as "basis," then into Old French as "base," and into Middle English. Adding the suffix "-ic," which English inherited through Latin and French, produced the adjective "basic," meaning something forming the foundation of a thing. The modern sense of "basics" is therefore a concrete image turned abstract: the things you must stand on before you can go anywhere. A carpenter's basics and a musician's basics are both the footing beneath everything built later.

Synonyms: fundamentals, principles, essentials, foundations, core

Antonyms: advanced, complexity, sophistication, details, extravagance