Etymology

fundamental

fun·da·men·tal
F4U1N1D2A1M3E1N1T1A1L1

Today it means: A basic truth, elementary concept, principle, rule, or law. An individual fundamental will often serve as a building block used to form a complex idea. Full definition →

Middle English fundamental ← Latin fundāmentālis ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰewbʰ-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰudʰmḗn
  3. Proto-Indo-European*bʰudʰnós
  4. Proto-Indo-European*bʰundʰós
  5. Proto-Italic*fundos
  6. Latinfundus
  7. Latinfundō
  8. Latinfundāmentum
  9. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  11. Latinfundāmentālis
  12. Middle Englishfundamental
  13. English todayfundamental

From Middle English foundamental, fundamental, from Late Latin fundāmentālis, from Latin fundāmentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“to lay the foundation (of something), to found”), from fundus (“bottom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn. By surface analysis, fundament + -al.

Words from the same roots

Latinfundāmentum all →

fundament

Proto-Indo-European*bʰudʰmḗn all →

bottombourne

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.