I. |fəndə|ment ə l adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin fundamentalis of a foundation, from Latin fundamentum + -alis -al
1. : producing, supporting, regulating, or conditioning something (as a development or system) : basic , underlying — often used with to
responsibility is fundamental to democracy
a. : serving as an original or generating source : being the one from which others are derived : primary
the chronicle is the fundamental account of the era from which all later historians drew
: formative
the various theories developed from that fundamental idea
b. : serving as a basis supporting existence or determining essential structure or function : forming the foundation on which something immaterial is built
the productivity fundamental to a sound economy
the fundamental rules governing all scientific experiments
c. : constituting a necessary or elemental quality, part, or condition : indispensable
American business sagacity had been fundamental in that triumph — Bernard DeVoto
: irreducible
considered the atom the fundamental unit of matter
2.
a. : of or extending or relating to essential structure, function, or facts : going to the root of the matter
naïve as the child's questions may sound, they are fundamental — W.K.Livingstone
: radical
distinguish fundamental from superficial differences
monarchy had undergone fundamental changes beneath its continuing forms
: elementary
less fundamental and general instruction and more advanced and specialized study
specifically : of or dealing with general principles (as of a chemical or electrical process) rather than practical application : pure
fundamental science
b. : concerned with fundamentals (as of life or religion) ; specifically : fundamentalist
replace modernist with fundamental Bible lessons
a preacher who is evangelical, Bible-teaching, and fundamental
3. : serving as or employing an arbitrarily established standard, reference point, or basis of reckoning
fundamental units of measurement
taking the equator as the fundamental circle
4.
a. of a musical chord or its position : having the root in the bass
b. : of, relating to, or produced by the lowest component of a complex vibration
5. : being or constituting the lowest geological formation : basal
the fundamental gneiss of the British isles
6. : of central importance : principal
lost sight of his fundamental purpose in the pursuit of secondary aims
: vital
such fundamental events as birth, marriage, and death
7. : forming a sustained or recurring element : serving as a background or starting point
used black jute as the fundamental material with patterns in colored thread
in the fundamental position the boxer's right arm is leading, his left guarding
specifically : forming the underlying pattern or image in a work of art
the conductor feels … doubt as to whether he should beat auxiliary beats or fundamental beats — Warwick Braithwaite
obscures the fundamental image of his poem with ornate metaphor
8. : belonging to one's innate or ingrained characteristics : deep-rooted
fatigue nor worry nor professordom could extinguish his fundamental gaiety — John Mason Brown
Synonyms: see essential
II. noun
( -s )
1. : something fundamental ; especially : one of the minimum constituents without which a thing would not be what it is or on which all further development is founded — often used in plural
reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic are fundamentals of education
2.
a. : the prime tone of any given harmonic series that gives the heard pitch of the tone sounded — compare overtone
b. : the root of a chord
3. : the harmonic component of a complex vibration or wave train (as a sound wave) that has the lowest frequency and commonly the greatest amplitude
Synonyms: see principle