rudiment
|ru-di-ment|
🇺🇸
/ˈruːdəmənt/
🇬🇧
/ˈruːdɪmənt/
basic elements
Etymology
'rudiment' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'rudimentum', where 'rudis' meant 'raw, unformed' and the suffix '-mentum' formed nouns.
'rudiment' changed from the Latin word 'rudimentum' (used in Medieval/Church Latin) into Middle English via borrowings and eventually became the modern English word 'rudiment'.
Initially, it meant 'a beginning, first attempt, or unskilled person', but over time it evolved into its current senses of 'basic element' and 'undeveloped remnant'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a basic principle, element, or skill that is learned first; a fundamental.
She learned the rudiment of piano playing before moving on to advanced pieces.
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Noun 2
a primitive, undeveloped, or vestigial part — something remaining from an earlier stage of development.
Some species retain rudiments of limbs that no longer function.
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Noun 3
(often plural) The earliest principles or elements of a subject or skill — the basics one must know.
He taught us the rudiments of algebra in one week.
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Last updated: 2025/09/20 08:04