fundament

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French fundement, fondement, from Latin fundāmentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“I lay the bottom, I found”). Doublet of fondamento.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfʌn.də.mənt/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈfan.də.mənt/
• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧ment

Noun

fundament (plural fundaments)

1. Foundation.
2. The bottom; the buttocks or anus.
   • 1703, Thomas Gibson, The anatomy of humane bodies epitomized:

     It [the Sphincter Ani] serves to purse up the Fundament, and so hinders the involuntary Evacuation of the Fæces.

   • 1861, Aristotle (pseud.), Aristotle's Works: containing directions for midwives, and counsel and advice to child-bearing women with various useful remedies., page 119

     ANOTHER defect that new-born infants are liable to is, to have their fundaments closed up; by which they can never evacuate the new excrements engendered by the milk they suck

   • 1864, Alfred Fennings, Fennings' everybody's doctor; or, When ill, how to get well, page 9:

     Bathe the parts frequently with cold water, and, if there be much pain at stool, always squirt up the fundament, beforehand, with a syringe, half a teacupful of cold water.

   • 2008, Eric Summers, Ride Me Cowboy: Erotic Tales of the West, page 38:

     I flinched when he touched my rosebud, but pretty soon I was fucking his mouth like it was Hector's fundament.

3. The underlying basis or principle for a theoretical or mathematical system.

Related terms

• fundamental

Descendants

• → Welsh: ffwndament

Translations

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch fondament, from Old French fundement, fondement, from Latin fundāmentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“I lay the bottom, I found”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌfʏn.daːˌmɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: fun‧da‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

fundament n (plural fundamenten, diminutive fundamentje n)

1. basis
2. foundation, basis

   Synonym: fundering

Related terms

• fundamenteel

Descendants

• Negerhollands: fondament
• → Caribbean Javanese: pandhemèn
• → Indonesian: fundamen
• → Papiamentu: fondement

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentum.

Noun

fundament n (definite singular fundamentet, indefinite plural fundament or fundamenter, definite plural fundamenta or fundamentene)

1. a foundation

Related terms

• fundamental

References

• “fundament” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin fundāmentum.

Noun

fundament n (definite singular fundamentet, indefinite plural fundament, definite plural fundamenta)

1. a foundation

Related terms

• fundamental

References

• “fundament” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

fundament

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fundāmentum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /funˈda.mɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -amɛnt
• Syllabification: fun‧da‧ment

Noun

fundament m inan

1. (architecture) foundation (lowest and supporting part or member of a wall)
2. (figuratively) base, basis, foundation

   Synonyms: baza, podstawa

Declension

Further reading

• fundament in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• fundament in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French fondement. By surface analysis, funda +‎ -ment.

Noun

fundament n (plural fundamente)

1. foundation

Declension