English Explanatory Dictionary

fundamental

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A basic truth, elementary concept, principle, rule, or law. An individual fundamental will often serve as a building block used to form a complex idea.
  2. A collection of essential component ideas that are often grouped together to serve as the foundational basis of a complex idea.
  3. The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
  4. The lowest partial of a complex tone.
adj
  1. Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation.
  2. Essential; extremely important.

Pronunciation

/ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ [fʌn.dəˈmɛn.tɫ̩] en-us-fundamental.ogg /ˌfɐn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ [fɐn.dəˈmɛn.tɫ̩]

Word forms

fundamental fundamentals more fundamental most fundamental

Etymology

From Late Latin fundamentālis, from Latin fundamentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“to lay the foundation (of something), to found”), from fundus (“bottom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn.

Synonyms

groundlaying elementary

Related words

fundament

Derived words

algebraic fundamental group antifundamental bifundamental first fundamental form fundamental analysis fundamental constant fundamental data fundamental force fundamental frequency fundamental group fundamental interaction fundamentalism fundamentalist fundamentalistic fundamentality fundamentally fundamentalness fundamental niche fundamental painting fundamental particle fundamental right fundamental science fundamental theorem fundamental theorem of arithmetic fundamental theorem of calculus fundamental theorem of calculus for line integrals fundamental unit nonfundamental prefundamental unfundamental
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