/klas"ik/ , adj.
1. of the first or highest quality, class, or rank: a classic piece of work.
2. serving as a standard, model, or guide: the classic method of teaching arithmetic.
3. of or pertaining to Greek and Roman antiquity, esp. with reference to literature and art.
4. modeled upon or imitating the style or thought of ancient Greece and Rome: The 17th and 18th centuries were obsessed with classic ideals.
5. of or adhering to an established set of artistic or scientific standards or methods: a classic example of mid-Victorian architecture.
6. basic; fundamental: the classic rules of warfare.
7. of enduring interest, quality, or style: a classic design; classic clothes.
8. of literary or historical renown: the classic haunts of famous writers.
9. traditional or typical: a classic comedy routine.
10. definitive: the classic reference work on ornithology.
11. of or pertaining to automobiles distinguished by elegant styling, outstanding engineering, and fine workmanship that were built between about 1925 and 1948.
n.
12. an author or a literary work of the first rank, esp. one of demonstrably enduring quality.
13. an author or literary work of ancient Greece or Rome.
14. classics , the literature and languages of ancient Greece and Rome (often prec. by the ).
15. an artist or artistic production considered a standard.
16. a work that is honored as definitive in its field: His handbook on mushrooms is a classic.
17. something noteworthy of its kind and worth remembering: His reply was a classic.
18. an article, as of clothing, unchanging in style: Her suit was a simple classic.
19. a typical or traditional event, esp. one that is considered to be highly prestigious or the most important of its kind: The World Series is the fall classic of baseball.
20. Archaic. a classicist.
Also, classical (for defs. 1-5, 8, 10).
[ 1605-15; ( classique ) classicus belonging to a class, belonging to the first or highest class, equiv. to class ( is ) CLASS + -icus -IC ]