foundation stone

noun

A stone laid during the construction of a (usually important) building, the laying of which is usually marked by a ceremony.

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Meanings

nounfoundation stone (plural foundation stones)

plural foundation stones

  1. A stone laid during the construction of a (usually important) building, the laying of which is usually marked by a ceremony.

    He laid the foundation stone on August 1 1847, and then set around 2,000 workmen loose on the undertaking. The station opened exactly one year later on August 1 1848.

    2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Chester (1848)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 58
  2. figurativelyThe basis of something.

    England had been infamously stodgy under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, albeit as they reached the final and, if anything, Carsley needed a performance here more than a result. He certainly got that in the first half. A new era has its foundation stone.

    2024 September 7, David Hytner, “Rice and Grealish start new England era with Nations League victory in Ireland”, in The Guardian

Translations

Bulgarian крайъгълен камък
  • крайъгълен камък (krajăgălen kamăk)stone laid during construction
Chinese Mandarin 基石, 奠基石
  • 基石 (jīshí)stone laid during construction
  • 奠基石 (diànjīshí)stone laid during construction
Danish grundsten
  • grundstenstone laid during construction
Finnish peruskivi
  • peruskivistone laid during construction
French première pierre
  • première pierrestone laid during construction
Hebrew אֶבֶן יְסוֹד, אֶבֶן פִּנָּה
  • אֶבֶן יְסוֹדstone laid during construction
  • אֶבֶן פִּנָּהstone laid during construction
  • אֶבֶן שְׁתִיָּהstone laid during construction
Hungarian alapkő
  • alapkőstone laid during construction
Italian prima pietra
  • prima pietrastone laid during construction
Norwegian Bokmål grunnstein
  • grunnsteinstone laid during construction
Portuguese primeira pedra, pedra fundamental
  • primeira pedrastone laid during construction
  • pedra fundamentalstone laid during construction
Russian краеуго́льный ка́мень
  • краеуго́льный ка́мень (krajeugólʹnyj kámenʹ)stone laid during construction
Yiddish גרונטשטיין
  • גרונטשטיין (gruntshteyn)stone laid during construction
Cite this entry
APA

foundation stone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foundation%20stone

MLA

“foundation stone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foundation%20stone. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foundation stone,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foundation%20stone.

Source: foundation stone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.