Word Study
classic
CIDE DICTIONARY
classic, a. [L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. classique. See Class, n. ].
- Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. [1913 Webster]"Give, as thy last memorial to the age,
One classic drama, and reform the stage." [1913 Webster]"Mr. Greaves may justly be reckoned a classical author on this subject [Roman weights and coins]." [1913 Webster] - Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, esp. to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced; of or pertaining to places inhabited by the ancient Greeks and Romans, or rendered famous by their deeds. [1913 Webster]"Though throned midst Latium's classic plains." [1913 Webster]"The epithet classical, as applied to ancient authors, is determined less by the purity of their style than by the period at which they wrote." [1913 Webster]"He [Atterbury] directed the classical studies of the undergraduates of his college." [1913 Webster]
- Conforming to the best authority in literature and art; chaste; pure; refined; as, a classical style. [1913 Webster]"Classical, provincial, and national synods." [1913 Webster]
classic, n.
- A work of acknowledged excellence and authority, or its author; -- originally used of Greek and Latin works or authors, but now applied to authors and works of a like character in any language. [1913 Webster]"In is once raised him to the rank of a legitimate English classic." [1913 Webster]
- One learned in the literature of Greece and Rome, or a student of classical literature. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
classic, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 a of the first class; of acknowledged excellence. b remarkably typical; outstandingly important (a classic case).
2 a of ancient Greek and Latin literature, art, or culture. b (of style in art, music, etc.) simple, harmonious, well-proportioned; in accordance with established forms (cf. ROMANTIC).
3 having literary or historic associations (classic ground).
4 (of clothes) made in a simple elegant style not much affected by changes in fashion.
--n.
1 a classic writer, artist, work, or example.
2 a an ancient Greek or Latin writer. b (in pl.) the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature and history. c archaic a scholar of ancient Greek and Latin.
3 a follower of classic models (cf. ROMANTIC).
4 a garment in classic style.
5 (in pl.) Brit. the classic races.
--adj.
1 a of the first class; of acknowledged excellence. b remarkably typical; outstandingly important (a classic case).
2 a of ancient Greek and Latin literature, art, or culture. b (of style in art, music, etc.) simple, harmonious, well-proportioned; in accordance with established forms (cf. ROMANTIC).
3 having literary or historic associations (classic ground).
4 (of clothes) made in a simple elegant style not much affected by changes in fashion.
--n.
1 a classic writer, artist, work, or example.
2 a an ancient Greek or Latin writer. b (in pl.) the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature and history. c archaic a scholar of ancient Greek and Latin.
3 a follower of classic models (cf. ROMANTIC).
4 a garment in classic style.
5 (in pl.) Brit. the classic races.
Idiom
classic races Brit. the five main flat races, namely the Two Thousand and the One Thousand Guineas, the Derby, the Oaks, and the St Leger.
Etymology
F classique or L classicus f. classis class
THESAURUS
classic
French literature, Renaissance literature, ageless, ancient literature, archetypal, archetype, art object, belles lettres, best seller, book, bound book, brainchild, bric-a-brac, capital, champion, classical, classical music, classics, coloring book, composition, concert music, concertino, concerto, concerto grosso, contemporary literature, creation, deathless, definitive, definitive work, design, enduring, epitome, erotic literature, erotica, excellent, exemplar, exemplary, famous, fine, first-rate, folio, folk literature, great work, grotesque, hardback, humane letters, ideal, immortal, juvenile, juvenile book, kitsch, leading, legendary, letters, limp-cover book, literature, longhair music, magnum opus, master, masterpiece, masterwork, medieval literature, mirror, mobile, model, museum piece, national literature, nonbook, notable, notebook, noteworthy, novel, nude, obscene literature, old master, opus, opuscule, opusculum, outstanding, paperback, paradigm, paradigmatic, paragon, pasticcio, pastiche, pattern of perfection, picture book, piece, piece of virtu, playbook, pocket book, polite literature, pop literature, popular literature, pornographic literature, pornography, prayer book, prime, production, prototypal, prototype, prototypical, psalmbook, psalter, pseudonymous literature, publication, quintessence, quintessential, representative, republic of letters, rhapsody, scatological literature, semiclassical music, serial, serious literature, sinfonietta, sketchbook, soft-cover, songbook, stabile, standard, standard work, statue, still life, storybook, study, superior, symphonia, symphonic music, symphonic ode, symphony, time-honored, timeless, title, tome, tone poem, top, top-notch, tour de force, trade book, travel literature, underground literature, undying, venerable, very model, virtu, volume, wisdom literature, work, work of art, writingROGET THESAURUS
classic
Oldness
N oldness, age, antiquity, cobwebs of antiquity, maturity, decline, decay, senility, seniority, eldership, primogeniture, archaism, thing of the past, relic of the past, megatherium, Sanskrit, tradition, prescription, custom, immemorial usage, common law, old, ancient, antique, of long standing, time-honored, venerable, elder, eldest, firstborn, prime, primitive, primeval, primigenous, paleolontological, paleontologic, paleoanthropological, paleoanthropic, paleolithic, primordial, primordinate, aboriginal, diluvian, antediluvian, protohistoric, prehistoric, antebellum, colonial, precolumbian, patriarchal, preadamite, paleocrystic, fossil, paleozoolical, paleozoic, preglacial, antemundane, archaic, classic, medieval, Pre-Raphaelite, ancestral, black-letter, immemorial, traditional, prescriptive, customary, whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contr, inveterate, rooted, antiquated, of other times, rococo, of the old school, after-age, obsolete, out of date, out of fashion, out of it, stale, old-fashioned, behind the age, old-world, exploded, gone out, gone by, passe, run out, senile, time worn, crumbling, secondhand, old as the hills, old as Methuselah, old as Adam, old as history, Archeozoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Paleogene, Neocene, Quaternary, Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Recent, since the world was made, since the year one, since the days of Methuselah, vetera extollimus recentium incuriosi.Symmetry
N symmetry, shapeliness, finish, beauty, proportion, eurythmy, uniformity, parallelism, bilateral symmetry, trilateral symmetry, multilateral symmetry, centrality, arborescence, branching, ramification, arbor vitae, symmetrical, shapely, well set, finished, beautiful, classic, chaste, severe, regular, uniform, balanced, equal, parallel, coextensive, arborescent, arboriform, dendriform, dendroid, branching, ramous, ramose, filiciform, filicoid, subarborescent, papilionaceous, fuji-shaped, fujigata.For further exploring for "classic" in Webster Dictionary Online
