Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or relating to the foundation or base; elementary.
- adjective Forming or serving as an essential component of a system or structure; central.
- adjective Of great significance or entailing major change.
- adjective Of or relating to the lowest possible frequency or the lowest frequency component of a vibrating element, system, periodic wave, or quantity.
- adjective Music Having the root in the bass.
- noun Something that is an essential or necessary part of a system or object.
- noun The lowest frequency of a periodically varying quantity or of a vibrating system.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Pertaining to the foundation; serving as or being a component part of a foundation or basis; hence, essential; important; original; elementary: as, a fundamental truth or principle; a. fundamental law.
- See fundamental, n., 2.
- The low tone generated by the tones of a chord. Also called
fundamental note . - noun A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; an essential part: as, the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
- noun In music: The root of a chord.
- noun The generator of a series of harmonics. Also called fundamental bass, note, or tone.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation.
- adjective (Mus.) the root note of a chord; a bass formed of the roots or fundamental tones of the chords.
- adjective (Mus.) a chord, the lowest tone of which is its root.
- adjective red, green, and violet-blue. See Primary colors, under
Color . - noun A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part, .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part, as, the fundamentals of linear algebra.
- adjective Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation. Hence: Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary; as, a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the lowest tone of a harmonic series
- adjective far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something
- noun any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business
- adjective serving as an essential component
- adjective being or involving basic facts or principles
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Here we join issue with those Socialist writers who advocate the endowment of motherhood and give it their own meaning; and that is why in a preceding paragraph the word fundamental has been emphasized, since in the endowment of motherhood as understood by socialists there are two principles, one which I call fundamental, and a second -- that the endowment shall be by the State -- which now falls to be considered.
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There's no real harm in the use of the term fundamental in this context, but this is about where the word gets elevated beyond its usefulness and starts becoming a hurdle to progress, and then a barrier.
Asymptotia 2009
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But, of course, the danger in messing with anything this fundamental is the possibility of royally screwing things up.
Creating depth in fantasy worlds: Let your people be people « 2009
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Brian Katulis, a national security expert at the Center for American Progress, said he is worried that members of the Obama administration have lost sight of what he calls the fundamental question: "Are we actually keeping Americans safe?"
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As though in tandem, Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia and Breyer recited what they called a fundamental principle: that the public must be able to understand what a criminal law means.
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In places like Cleveland and Detroit, Donovan is planning what he called a fundamental rethinking of land use.
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As though in tandem, Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia and Breyer recited what they called a fundamental principle: that the public must be able to understand what a criminal law means.
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Brian Katulis, a national security expert at the Center for American Progress, said he is worried that members of the Obama administration have lost sight of what he calls the fundamental question: "Are we actually keeping Americans safe?"
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Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky challenged us to "go to the mountain" -- as we have for education and voting rights -- to ensure health care for all, which he called a fundamental human right.
Personal Tragedies Show Need for Health Care Reform: Video of "Congressional Send-Off Rally" in L.A. 2009
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Both the decisions accorded the principle of equality for women, which they termed a fundamental principle, much less than a hegemony in this balance.
yarb commented on the word fundamental
A word beloved of bores seeking to pad out their prattle. To me it just means "of the arse".
March 14, 2008
skipvia commented on the word fundamental
People always wonder why I chuckle when they call themselves "fundamental Christians."
March 15, 2008