fundamental

English

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for fundamental in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

Alternative forms

• foundament (when used as a noun)

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Noun

fundamental (plural fundamentals)

1. (usually in the plural) A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; an essential part

   one of the fundamentals of linear algebra

2. (physics) The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
3. (music) The lowest partial of a complex tone.

Translations

a leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article

• Armenian: հիմունք (hy) (himunkʿ)
• Bulgarian: при́нцип (bg) m (príncip), осно́ва (bg) f (osnóva)
• Catalan: fonamental (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 基本 (zh) (jīběn)

• Czech: zásadní (cs)
• Finnish: fundamentti, perusta (fi), peruskivi (fi), perusteet pl
• French: fondement (fr)
• Galician: fundamento (gl) m
• Georgian: საფუძველი (sapuʒveli), ძირითადი წესი (ʒiritadi c̣esi)
• German: Grundlage (de) f
• Greek: θεμέλιο (el) n (themélio)

• Italian: fondamento (it) m
• Japanese: 基本 (ja) (きほん, kihon)
• Korean: 기본 (ko) (gibon)
• Maori: tūāpapa
• Navajo: áʼádaatʼéhígíí
• Norwegian: fundamental (no)
• Portuguese: fundamento (pt) m
• Romanian: fundament (ro) n
• Russian: осно́вы (ru) f pl (osnóvy), при́нцип (ru) m (príncip)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: ȍsnova (sh) f, tèmelj (sh) m

Adjective

fundamental (comparative more fundamental, superlative most fundamental)

1. Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation.
2. Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary.

   a fundamental truth;   a fundamental axiom

   A need for belonging seems fundamental to humans.

   • 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:

     Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […]  But the scandals kept coming, […]. A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.

Synonyms

• groundlaying
• See also Thesaurus:bare-bones

Hyponyms

• not-quite-as-fundamental
• quite-as-fundamental

 

Derived terms

• fundamentalism
• fundamentalist
• fundamentality
• fundamentally
• fundamentalness

 

Related terms

• fundament
• fundamental analysis

 

Translations

pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation

• Arabic: أَسَاسِيّ‎ (ar) (ʾasāsiyy)
• Belarusian: асно́ўны (be) (asnóŭny), фундамента́льны (fundamjentálʹny), падставо́вы (padstavóvy)
• Bengali: মৌলিক (moulik)
• Bulgarian: фундамента́лен (bg) (fundamentálen), осно́вен (bg) (osnóven)
• Catalan: fonamental (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 基本 (gei¹ bun²)

  Mandarin: 基本 (zh) (jīběn)

• Czech: základní (cs), podstatný (cs)
• Danish: fundamental, grundlæggende (da)
• Dutch: fundamenteel (nl)
• Esperanto: fundamenta
• Estonian: põhi-
• Finnish: perustavanlaatuinen (fi), olennainen (fi), fundamentaalinen, perus- (fi)
• French: fondamental (fr)
• Galician: fundamental
• Georgian: ფუძემდებელი (puʒemdebeli), ფუნდამენტალური (pundamenṭaluri), ფუნდამენტური (pundamenṭuri), არსებითი (ka) (arsebiti), ძირითადი (ʒiritadi)
• German: grundlegend (de), fundamental (de), grundsätzlich (de)
• Greek: θεμελιώδης (el) m or f (themeliódis)
• Hungarian: alapvető (hu)
• Italian: fondamentale (it)

• Japanese: 基本的な (きほんてきな, kihonteki na)
• Korean: 기본적 (ko) (gibonjeok)
• Latvian: fundamentāls
• Maltese: fundamentali, fondamentali
• Maori: whakapū
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fundamental (no)

  Nynorsk: fundamental

• Persian: بنیادی‎ (fa) (bonyâdi), اساسی‎ (fa) (asâsi)
• Polish: podstawowy (pl), fundamentalny (pl)
• Portuguese: fundamental (pt)
• Quechua: tiksi (qu)
• Romanian: fundamental (ro), de bază
• Russian: основно́й (ru) (osnovnój), основополага́ющий (ru) (osnovopolagájuščij), фундамента́льный (ru) (fundamentálʹnyj), суще́ственный (ru) (suščéstvennyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: fȕndamentālan (sh), ȍsnovān (sh), tȅmēljnī (sh)
• Spanish: fundamental (es)
• Swedish: grundläggande (sv), fundamental (sv)
• Tagalog: batayan
• Tajik: бунёдӣ (tg) (bunyodī), асосӣ (asosī)
• Ukrainian: основни́й (osnovnýj), фундамента́льний (fundamentálʹnyj), підставо́вий (pidstavóvyj)

Further reading

• fundamental in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• fundamental in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

---

Danish

Etymology

From fundament +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔndaməntaːl/, [fɔnd̥amənˈtˢæːˀl]

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

fundamental

1. basic, fundamental

Inflection

Inflection of fundamental
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	fundamental	—	—2
Neuter singular	fundamentalt	—	—2
Plural	fundamentale	—	—2
Definite attributive1	fundamentale	—	—
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Synonyms

• afgørende
• basal
• grundliggende, grundlæggende

Derived terms

• fundamentalisme
• fundamentalist

---

Galician

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentālis.

Adjective

fundamental m or f (plural fundamentais)

1. fundamental

Further reading

• “fundamental” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

---

German

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentālis; synchronically analyzable as Fundament +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʊndamɛnˈtaːl/
• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

fundamental (comparative fundamentaler, superlative am fundamentalsten)

1. fundamental

Declension

Positive forms of fundamental

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist fundamental	sie ist fundamental	es ist fundamental	sie sind fundamental
strong declension (without article)	nominative	fundamentaler	fundamentale	fundamentales	fundamentale
	genitive	fundamentalen	fundamentaler	fundamentalen	fundamentaler
	dative	fundamentalem	fundamentaler	fundamentalem	fundamentalen
	accusative	fundamentalen	fundamentale	fundamentales	fundamentale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der fundamentale	die fundamentale	das fundamentale	die fundamentalen
	genitive	des fundamentalen	der fundamentalen	des fundamentalen	der fundamentalen
	dative	dem fundamentalen	der fundamentalen	dem fundamentalen	den fundamentalen
	accusative	den fundamentalen	die fundamentale	das fundamentale	die fundamentalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein fundamentaler	eine fundamentale	ein fundamentales	(keine) fundamentalen
	genitive	eines fundamentalen	einer fundamentalen	eines fundamentalen	(keiner) fundamentalen
	dative	einem fundamentalen	einer fundamentalen	einem fundamentalen	(keinen) fundamentalen
	accusative	einen fundamentalen	eine fundamentale	ein fundamentales	(keine) fundamentalen

Comparative forms of fundamental

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist fundamentaler	sie ist fundamentaler	es ist fundamentaler	sie sind fundamentaler
strong declension (without article)	nominative	fundamentalerer	fundamentalere	fundamentaleres	fundamentalere
	genitive	fundamentaleren	fundamentalerer	fundamentaleren	fundamentalerer
	dative	fundamentalerem	fundamentalerer	fundamentalerem	fundamentaleren
	accusative	fundamentaleren	fundamentalere	fundamentaleres	fundamentalere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der fundamentalere	die fundamentalere	das fundamentalere	die fundamentaleren
	genitive	des fundamentaleren	der fundamentaleren	des fundamentaleren	der fundamentaleren
	dative	dem fundamentaleren	der fundamentaleren	dem fundamentaleren	den fundamentaleren
	accusative	den fundamentaleren	die fundamentalere	das fundamentalere	die fundamentaleren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein fundamentalerer	eine fundamentalere	ein fundamentaleres	(keine) fundamentaleren
	genitive	eines fundamentaleren	einer fundamentaleren	eines fundamentaleren	(keiner) fundamentaleren
	dative	einem fundamentaleren	einer fundamentaleren	einem fundamentaleren	(keinen) fundamentaleren
	accusative	einen fundamentaleren	eine fundamentalere	ein fundamentaleres	(keine) fundamentaleren

Superlative forms of fundamental

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am fundamentalsten	sie ist am fundamentalsten	es ist am fundamentalsten	sie sind am fundamentalsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	fundamentalster	fundamentalste	fundamentalstes	fundamentalste
	genitive	fundamentalsten	fundamentalster	fundamentalsten	fundamentalster
	dative	fundamentalstem	fundamentalster	fundamentalstem	fundamentalsten
	accusative	fundamentalsten	fundamentalste	fundamentalstes	fundamentalste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der fundamentalste	die fundamentalste	das fundamentalste	die fundamentalsten
	genitive	des fundamentalsten	der fundamentalsten	des fundamentalsten	der fundamentalsten
	dative	dem fundamentalsten	der fundamentalsten	dem fundamentalsten	den fundamentalsten
	accusative	den fundamentalsten	die fundamentalste	das fundamentalste	die fundamentalsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein fundamentalster	eine fundamentalste	ein fundamentalstes	(keine) fundamentalsten
	genitive	eines fundamentalsten	einer fundamentalsten	eines fundamentalsten	(keiner) fundamentalsten
	dative	einem fundamentalsten	einer fundamentalsten	einem fundamentalsten	(keinen) fundamentalsten
	accusative	einen fundamentalsten	eine fundamentalste	ein fundamentalstes	(keine) fundamentalsten

Synonyms

• grundlegend

Derived terms

• Fundamentalismus, Fundamentalist

Related terms

• Fundamentalerkenntnis, Fundamentalentscheidung, Fundamentalgesetz, Fundamentalsatz

Further reading

• “fundamental” in Duden online

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin fundamentalis

Adjective

fundamental (masculine and feminine fundamental, neuter fundamentalt, definite singular and plural fundamentale)

1. fundamental, basic

Related terms

• fundament

References

• “fundamental” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “fundamental” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin fundamentalis

Adjective

fundamental (masculine and feminine fundamental, neuter fundamentalt, definite singular and plural fundamentale)

1. fundamental, basic

Related terms

• fundament

References

• “fundamental” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

---

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentālis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌfũ.da.mẽ.ˈtaw/, /fũ.ˌda.mẽ.ˈtaw/
• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Adjective

fundamental m or f (plural fundamentais, comparable)

1. fundamental; essential (pertaining to the basic part or notion of something)

   Synonyms: essencial, básico

Derived terms

• fundamentalismo
• fundamentalista
• fundamentalmente

Further reading

• “fundamental” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “fundamental” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

---

Romanian

Etymology

From French fondamental, from Latin fundamentalis

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌfun.da.menˈtal/

Adjective

fundamental m or n (feminine singular fundamentală, masculine plural fundamentali, feminine and neuter plural fundamentale)

1. fundamental

Declension

Declension of fundamental

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	fundamental		fundamentală	fundamentali	fundamentale
	definite	fundamentalul		fundamentala	fundamentalii	fundamentalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	fundamental		fundamentale	fundamentali	fundamentale
	definite	fundamentalului		fundamentalei	fundamentalilor	fundamentalelor

Related terms

Related terms →

• fundament
• fundamenta
• fundamentabil

• fundamentare
• fundamentat

References

• fundamental in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

---

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fundamenˈtal/, [fũn̪.d̪a.mẽn̪ˈt̪al]
• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Adjective

fundamental (plural fundamentales)

1. fundamental

Derived terms

• fundamentalismo
• fundamentalista
• fundamentalmente
• interacción fundamental

Related terms

• fundamentar
• fundamento
• fundar

Further reading

• “fundamental” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

---

Swedish

Adjective

fundamental (not comparable)

1. fundamental

Declension

Inflection of fundamental
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	fundamental	mer fundamental	mest fundamental
Neuter singular	fundamentalt	mer fundamentalt	mest fundamentalt
Plural	fundamentala	mer fundamentala	mest fundamentala
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	fundamentale	mer fundamentale	mest fundamentale
All	fundamentala	mer fundamentala	mest fundamentala
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.

References

• fundamental in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• fundamental in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)