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rudiment

noun
/ˈɹuːdɪmənt/

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin rudimentum (“a first attempt, a beginning”), plural rudimenta (“the elements”), from rudis (“rude”); see rude. By surface analysis, rude + -i- + -ment.

  1. derived from rudimentum

Definitions

  1. A fundamental principle or skill, especially in a field of learning.

    • We'll be learning the rudiments of thermodynamics next week.
    • This boy is forest-born, / And hath been tutored in the rudiments / Of many desperate studies.
    • The very emphasis on reading readiness and on the methods employed to teach children the rudiments of reading has meant that the other, the higher, levels of reading have tended to be slighted.

  2. A form that lacks full or complex development.

    • I have the rudiments of an escape plan.
    • But I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit / Those rudiments, and see before thine eyes / The monarchies of the earth.
    • The single leaf is the rudiment of beauty in landscape.

  3. A body part that no longer has a function

  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. In percussion, one of a selection of basic drum patterns learned as an exercise.

      • Show me your rudiments.

    2. To ground

      To ground; to settle in first principles.

The neighborhood

Derived

rudimental, rudimentary

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at rudiment. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01rudiment02complex03real04sincere05genuine06original07origin08beginning

A definitional loop anchored at rudiment. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at rudiment

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA