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rudiment

noun

No English definition recorded for this entry.

L326975 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈɹuːdɪmənt/

noun

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. 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.

  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.

  3. A body part that no longer has a function
  4. In percussion, one of a selection of basic drum patterns learned as an exercise.

    Show me your rudiments.

verb

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. To ground; to settle in first principles.