fun·da·men·tal

[fuhn-duh-men-tl]
adjective
1.
serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.
2.
of, pertaining to, or affecting the foundation or basis: a fundamental revision.
3.
being an original or primary source: a fundamental idea.
4.
Music. (of a chord) having its root as its lowest note.
noun
5.
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.
6.
Also called fundamental note, fundamental tone. Music.
a.
the root of a chord.
b.
the generator of a series of harmonics.
7.
Physics. the component of lowest frequency in a composite wave.
00:10
Fundamentally is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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

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
un·fun·da·men·tal·ly, adverb


1. indispensable, primary.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To fundamentally
Collins
World English Dictionary
fundamental (ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
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

fundamentally (ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəlɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adv
1.  in a way that affects the basis or essentials; utterly: the terms of engagement have been fundamentally altered
2.  (sentence modifier) in essence; at heart: fundamentally, we want our lives to be safe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
C fundamentally changed the way computer programs were written.
It is fundamentally irrational and beyond the reach of talk about features or
  price.
Continuing to use them in this way is fundamentally selfish.
And the digestive processes don't differ fundamentally between snakes and us.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT