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fundamental

[fuhn-duh-men-tl]

Origin

adjective

serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.

of, pertaining to, or affecting the foundation or basis: a fundamental revision.

being an original or primary source: a fundamental idea.

Music. (of a chord) having its root as its lowest note.

noun

a basic principle, rule, law, or the like, that serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part: to master the fundamentals of a trade.

Also called fundamental note, fundamental tone. Music.

the root of a chord.

the generator of a series of harmonics.

Physics. the component of lowest frequency in a composite wave.

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Fundamental is always a great word to know.

So is dotted quarter note. Does it mean:

quarter note that is lengthened by half

tone on the fifth degree from another tone

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Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin fundāmentālis of, belonging to a foundation. See fundament, -al¹

Related forms

fun·da·men·tal·i·ty, fun·da·men·tal·ness, noun

fun·da·men·tal·ly, adverb

non·fun·da·men·tal, adjective, noun

non·fun·da·men·tal·ly, adverb

un·fun·da·men·tal, adjective

EXPAND

un·fun·da·men·tal·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. indispensable, primary.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

fundamental (ˌfʌndəˈmɛnt^əl)

—*adj*
1.	of, involving, or comprising a foundation; basic
2.	of, involving, or comprising a source; primary
3.	music denoting or relating to the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
4.	of or concerned with the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration

—n
5.	a principle, law, etc, that serves as the basis of an idea or system
6.	a. the principal or lowest note of a harmonic series
	b. the bass note of a chord in root position
7.	physics fundamental frequency, Also called: first harmonic
	a. the component of lowest frequency in a complex vibration
	b. the frequency of this component

fundamen'tality

—n

funda'mentalness

—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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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

fundamental

mid-15c., "primary, original, pertaining to a foundation," modeled on L.L. fundamentalis "of the foundation," from L. fundamentum "foundation" (see fundament). Related: Fundamentally. Fundamentals "primary principles or rules" of anything is from 1630s.

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"The first element of greatness is fundamental humbleness (this should not be confused with servility); the second is freedom from self; the third is intrepid courage, which, taken in its widest interpretation, generally goes with truth; and the fourth—the power to love—although I have put it last, is the rarest."

-Margot Asquith

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