foundation stone

English

Noun

foundation stone (plural foundation stones)

1. A stone laid during the construction of a (usually important) building, the laying of which is usually marked by a ceremony.
   • 2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Chester (1848)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 58:

     He laid the foundation stone on August 1 1847, and then set around 2,000 workmen loose on the undertaking. The station opened exactly one year later on August 1 1848.

2. (figurative) The basis of something.
   • 2024 September 7, David Hytner, “Rice and Grealish start new England era with Nations League victory in Ireland”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     England had been infamously stodgy under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, albeit as they reached the final and, if anything, Carsley needed a performance here more than a result. He certainly got that in the first half. A new era has its foundation stone.

Related terms

• cornerstone

Translations

stone laid during construction

• Bulgarian: крайъгълен камък (bg) m (krajǎgǎlen kamǎk)
• Danish: grundsten c
• Finnish: peruskivi (fi)
• French: première pierre (fr) f
• Hebrew: אֶבֶן יְסוֹד (he) f (even yesod), אֶבֶן פִּנָּה (he) f (even pinah), אֶבֶן שְׁתִיָּה (he) f (even shtiyah)
• Hungarian: alapkő (hu)
• Italian: prima pietra f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grunnstein m

  Nynorsk: grunnstein m

• Portuguese: primeira pedra f, pedra fundamental f
• Russian: краеуго́льный ка́мень (ru) m (krajeugólʹnyj kámenʹ)