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classic

 
Dictionary: clas·sic   (klăs'ĭk) pronunciation
adj.
    1. Belonging to the highest rank or class.
    2. Serving as the established model or standard: a classic example of colonial architecture.
    3. Having lasting significance or worth; enduring.
    1. Adhering or conforming to established standards and principles: a classic piece of research.
    2. Of a well-known type; typical: a classic mistake.
  1. Of or characteristic of the literature, art, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome; classical.
    1. Formal, refined, and restrained in style.
    2. Simple and harmonious; elegant: the classic cut of a suit; the classic lines of a clipper ship.
  2. Having historical or literary associations: classic battlefields of the Civil War.
n.
  1. An artist, author, or work generally considered to be of the highest rank or excellence, especially one of enduring significance.
  2. A work recognized as definitive in its field.
    1. A literary work of ancient Greece or Rome.
    2. classics The languages and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Used with the.
    3. One that is of the highest rank or class: The car was a classic of automotive design.
  3. A typical or traditional example.
  4. Informal. A superior or unusual example of its kind: The reason he gave for being late was a classic.
  5. A traditional event, especially a major sporting event that is held annually: a golf classic.

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(1) A programming interface in the PowerPC versions of the Mac OS X operating system that supported earlier, non-Unix Mac OS 9 applications. Originally called the "Blue Box," Classic was dropped in the Intel versions of OS X and later for the PowerPC with the Version 10.5 (Leopard) of OS X. See Mac OS X.

(2) A Mac or Mac operating system prior to Mac OS X.

(3) A modernized remake of the original "hi-rise" Macintosh. The Classic came out in 1990. See Macintosh models - early.

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Thesaurus: classic
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adjective

  1. Having the nature of, constituting, or serving as a type: archetypal, archetypic, archetypical, classical, model, paradigmatic, prototypal, prototypic, prototypical, quintessential, representative, typic, typical. See same/different/compare, usual/unusual.
  2. Characterized by enduring excellence, appeal, and importance: classical, vintage. See good/bad.

Antonyms: classic
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adj

Definition: characteristic, regular
Antonyms: abnormal, irregular, uncharacteristic

adj

Definition: model
Antonyms: second-rate


classic (classics, classical). The English terms are derived from the Latin adjective classicus meaning ‘of the highest class’ (of the five classes of Roman citizens divided by Servius Tullius on a property basis). Aulus Gellius in the second century AD seems to have been the first to use the adjective figuratively to describe a writer, but Cicero had already taken the noun classis (‘class’) from its political and military sphere and used it to describe a ‘class’ of philosophers (see also CANONS). Renaissance scholars writing in Latin adopted the adjective to describe Greek and Latin authors in general, and from this the modern usage is derived. The terms are sometimes used with a narrower, temporal meaning to describe what is thought to be the best period, in a cultural sense, of the Greek and Roman civilizations. Thus, the classical period of ancient Greece was most of the fifth and fourth centuries BC, roughly from the defeat of the Persians in 480 to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, and that of Rome the first century BC and the following century up to the death of Augustus in AD 14, sometimes referred to as the Golden Age.

Fine Arts Dictionary: classic
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A descriptive term for a period in Western music, encompassing roughly the last half of the eighteenth century, that includes the works of Franz Josef Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the early works of Ludwig van Beethoven, among other composers.

Word Tutor: classic
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Having a formal style that is simple, neat, and balanced. Also: Famous because it is typical and has become a tradition.

pronunciation A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say. — Italo Calvino.

Wikipedia: Classic
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The word classic has several meanings. In general, these meanings refer to some past time. Something that is classical is a classic, but the word classic has more meanings, often more closely associated with popular culture and mass-produced goods.

Contents

Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a long period of history centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. This period is conventionally taken to stretch from roughly the 7th or 8th century BC to the 5th century AD. It is often seen as a golden age of Western civilisation, preceding the dark ages of the early medieval period.

  • The classics are the language and culture of classical antiquity, particularly its literature. Hence, each work that falls into this category can be considered a classic.

Golden age

The word classic can also be used to refer to any period considered to be a golden age.

  • Mesoamerican classic period, a span of time from roughly 250 to 900 AD when Mesoamerican civilisation was considered to have been at its peak.
  • Classic rock, rock songs ranging from the early-1960s through to the early-1980s

Something old

  • Classic car, a term used to favourably describe an older car
  • Classic stamp, a postage stamp considered distinctive by philatelists

Like something old

The word classic can be used as part of a retronym or as the part of the name for something new that is marketed on its similarities to something older.

Usage in sport

Many things in sport take the name classic. Sometimes this indicates something longstanding. Sometimes it indicates something that follows an old practice. Sometimes it is just a name.

An object of devotion

A work of popular culture that inspires devotion or respect is often called a classic.

  • Cult classic, a film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans.
  • Instant classic, a work of popular culture, particularly popular music, that inspires instant devotion and the belief that it will be considered a classic in the future.

Works with the word classic in the title

See also


Translations: Classic
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - klassisk
n. - klassiker, klassisk

Nederlands (Dutch)
klassiek, typerend, classicistisch, klassieker, kunst(enaar) uit de klassieke oudheid, classicistische kunstenaar

Français (French)
adj. - classique
n. - classique, (Littérat, Cin) les classiques (npl)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Klassiker
adj. - klassisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κλασικό έργο, κλασσική δημιουργία (της αρχαίας ελληνικής ή ρωμαϊκής περιόδου), κλασικός (συγγραφέας κ.λπ.), κλασικό παράδειγμα, αρχέτυπο, (καθομ.) οι πέντε κυριότερες βρετανικές ιπποδρομίες, (πληθ.) κλασική φιλολογία
adj. - κλασικός, διαχρονικής (καλλιτεχνικής ή πολιτιστικής) αξίας

Italiano (Italian)
classico

Português (Portuguese)
n. - autor (m) artista (m) (f) clássico, obra (f) clássica
adj. - clássico

Русский (Russian)
классик, классический

Español (Spanish)
adj. - clásico, histórico
n. - autor clásico, estudiante de lenguas clásicas, clásico

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - klassiker, klassiskt evenemang
adj. - klassisk

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
第一流的, 古典的, 最优秀的, 杰作, 名著

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 第一流的, 古典的, 最優秀的
n. - 傑作, 名著

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 일류의, 고전적인, 전형적인
n. - 고전 작가, 최고 작품

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 第一級の, 典型的な, 古典の, 古典的な, 有名な, クラシックな
n. - 古典, 古典的作家, 古典作品, 古典作家, 古典語, 古典文学

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فنان أو مؤلف فذ, أثر أدبي أو فني رائع (صفه) كلاسيكي, ممتاز, رائع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮קלסי, מעולה, מופתי, טיפוסי וחשוב מאד, שייך לתרבות היוונית או הרומית העתיקות‬
n. - ‮סופר-מופת, יצירה קלסית, קלסיקון, מאורע קלסי‬


 
 
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