fundamental
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fundamental
- /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ Canada, US, UK
- [fʌn.dəˈmɛn.tɫ̩] Canada, US, UK
- /ˌfɐn.dəˈmen.təl/ Australia, New Zealand
- [fɐn.dəˈmen.tɫ̩] Australia, New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English foundamental, fundamental, from Late Latin fundāmentālis, from Latin fundāmentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“to lay the foundation (of something), to found”), from fundus (“bottom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn. By surface analysis, fundament + -al.
noun fundamentals
- 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. Personal leadership is a fundamental of successful government.
- A collection of essential component ideas that are often grouped together to serve as the foundational basis of a complex idea. one of the fundamentals of linear algebra
- The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
- The lowest partial of a complex tone.
adjective more fundamental · most fundamental
- Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation.
-
Essential; extremely important.
a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom; a fundamental element; fundamental principle; fundamental law
Similar: elementary, underlying
Similar: groundlaying
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: cardinal, significant, basic, primal, important, profound, rudimentary, central, underlying, fundamental frequency, key, first harmonic, of import, elementary, basically, principle
adjective
Similar: groundlaying
Translations
Every language
noun a leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article
| 한국어 | 기본 gibon |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 基本 kihon |
| 中文 | 基本 jīběn |
| Português | fundamento |
| Français | fondement |
| Deutsch | Grundlage |
| Italiano | fondamento |
| Ελληνικά | θεμέλιο themélio |
| Română | fundament |
| Русский | осно́вы osnóvy, при́нцип príncip |
adj pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation
| Español | fundamental, cimental |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 기본적 gibonjeok |
| 日本語 | 基本的な kihonteki na |
| 中文 | 基本 jīběn |
| Português | fundamental |
| Français | fondamental |
| Deutsch | grundlegend, fundamental, grundsätzlich |
| Italiano | fondamentale |
| Ελληνικά | θεμελιώδης themeliódis |
| Română | fundamental, de bază |
| Русский | основно́й osnovnój, основополага́ющий osnovopolagájuščij, фундамента́льный fundamentálʹnyj, суще́ственный suščéstvennyj |
| العربية | أَسَاسِيّ ʔasāsiyy |
Talk about this word "fundamental." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fundamental. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fundamental. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fundamental "fundamental." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fundamental.Cite this
@misc{fundamental_2026,
title = {fundamental},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fundamental},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
