Added 9 October 2026
fundamental
/ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ noun
Latin root: fundāmentālis Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fundamental at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- 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.
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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.
adjective
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)