fundamental

English Online Dictionary. What means fundamental‎? What does fundamental mean?

English

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/
• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Noun

fundamental (plural fundamentals)

1. (generic, singular) 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.
2. (generic, plural) A collection of essential component ideas that are often grouped together to serve as the foundational basis of a complex idea.
3. (physics) The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
4. (music) The lowest partial of a complex tone.

Translations

Adjective

fundamental (comparative more fundamental, superlative most fundamental)

1. Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation.
2. Essential; extremely important.

   Synonym: elementary

   a fundamental truth;   a fundamental axiom;   a fundamental element;   fundamental principle;   fundamental law

Synonyms

• groundlaying
• See also Thesaurus:bare-bones

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• “fundamental”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “fundamental”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Danish

Etymology

From fundament +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

fundamental

1. basic, fundamental

Inflection

Synonyms

• afgørende
• basal
• grundliggende, grundlæggende

Derived terms

• fundamentalisme
• fundamentalist

Galician

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentālis. By surface analysis, fundamento +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fundamenˈtal/ [fun̪.d̪a.mẽn̪ˈt̪ɑɫ]
• IPA^(key): /fundamɛnˈtal/ [fun̪.d̪a.mɛ̃n̪ˈt̪ɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Adjective

fundamental m or f (plural fundamentais)

1. fundamental

Further reading

• “fundamental”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fundāmentālis. By surface analysis, Fundament +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

fundamental (strong nominative masculine singular fundamentaler, comparative fundamentaler, superlative am fundamentalsten)

1. fundamental

   Synonym: grundlegend

Declension

Derived terms

• Fundamentalismus, Fundamentalist

Related terms

• Fundamentalerkenntnis, Fundamentalentscheidung, Fundamentalgesetz, Fundamentalsatz

Further reading

• “fundamental” in Duden online
• “fundamental” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from English fundamental, 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

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /fundaˈmental/ [fun.daˈmen̪.t̪al]
• Rhymes: -ental
• Syllabification: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Adjective

fundamental (comparative lebih fundamental, superlative paling fundamental)

1. fundamental

Further reading

• “fundamental” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

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 (neuter fundamentalt, definite singular and plural fundamentale)

1. fundamental, basic

Related terms

• fundament

References

• “fundamental” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fundāmentālis.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Adjective

fundamental m or f (plural fundamentais)

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 (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “fundamental”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French fondamental, from Latin fundamentalis. Equivalent to fundament +‎ -al.

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

Related terms

References

• “fundamental”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fundamenˈtal/ [fũn̪.d̪a.mẽn̪ˈt̪al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: fun‧da‧men‧tal

Adjective

fundamental m or f (masculine and feminine plural fundamentales)

1. fundamental

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “fundamental”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Swedish

Adjective

fundamental (not comparable)

1. fundamental

Declension

References

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