elementary
Use Elementary in a sentence
əˈmɛn adjective
2.
of or pertaining to an elementary school: elementary teachers.
3.
of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple or uncompounded.
4.
5.
Chemistry. of or noting one or more elements.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English elementare (< Middle French elementaire) < Latin elementārius. See element, -ary
1400–50; late Middle English elementare (< Middle French elementaire) < Latin elementārius. See element, -ary
Related forms
el·e·men·ta·ri·ness, noun
non·el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
post·el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
pre·el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
qua·si-el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
su·per·el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
trans·el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
un·el·e·men·ta·ry, adjective
Can be confused: 1. eleemosynary, elementary (see synonym study at the current entry) ; 2. elemental, elementary.
Synonyms
1. Elementary, primary, rudimentary refer to what is basic and fundamental. Elementary refers to the introductory, simple, easy facts or parts of a subject that must necessarily be learned first in order to understand succeeding ones: elementary arithmetic. Primary may mean much the same as elementary; however, it usually emphasizes the idea of what comes first even more than that of simplicity: primary steps. Rudimentary applies to what is undeveloped or imperfect: a rudimentary form of government.
1. Elementary, primary, rudimentary refer to what is basic and fundamental. Elementary refers to the introductory, simple, easy facts or parts of a subject that must necessarily be learned first in order to understand succeeding ones: elementary arithmetic. Primary may mean much the same as elementary; however, it usually emphasizes the idea of what comes first even more than that of simplicity: primary steps. Rudimentary applies to what is undeveloped or imperfect: a rudimentary form of government.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To elementary
00:10
Elementary
is always a great word to know.
So is addition. Does it mean:
| pertaining to, containing, or resembling ethyl ether |
| a reaction in which two or more substances combine to form another compound |
Collins
World English Dictionary
elementary (ˌɛlɪˈmɛntərɪ, -trɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | not difficult; simple; rudimentary |
| 2. | of or concerned with the first principles of a subject; introductory or fundamental |
| 3. | maths (of a function) having the form of an algebraic, exponential, trigonometric, or a logarithmic function, or any combination of these |
| 4. | chem another word for elemental |
| ele'mentarily | |
| —adv | |
| ele'mentariness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
elementary
1540s, rudimentary, from L. elementarius, from elementum (see element). Meaning simple is from 1620s. Elementary school is 1841.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Both trains of thought are in fact extremely simple and elementary.
It has power to illustrate some basic and elementary principles.
Those that cannot be further broken down are called fundamental, or elementary, particles.
My pig was a more elementary form of things he'd been eating for years.
Nearby Words
Synonyms
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