FOUNDATION

initiation, founding, foundation, institution, origination, creation, innovation, introduction, instauration

(noun) the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new; “she looked forward to her initiation as an adult”; “the foundation of a new scientific society”

foundation, base, fundament, foot, groundwork, substructure, understructure

(noun) lowest support of a structure; “it was built on a base of solid rock”; “he stood at the foot of the tower”

basis, base, foundation, fundament, groundwork, cornerstone

(noun) the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained; “the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture”

foundation, grounding

(noun) education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge; “he lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study”; “a good grounding in mathematics”

foundation

(noun) an institution supported by an endowment

foundation

(noun) the basis on which something is grounded; “there is little foundation for his objections”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

foundation (countable and uncountable, plural foundations)

The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

Synonym: establishment

Antonyms: abolition, dissolution, ruination

That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding.

Synonyms: groundwork, basis

(figurative) The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop.

Synonyms: groundwork, platform, stage

(card games) In solitaire or patience games, one of the piles of cards that the player attempts to build, usually holding all cards of a suit in ascending order.

(architecture) The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.

Synonyms: base, groundwall

A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.

That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.

(cosmetics) Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture.

A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines.

Source: Wiktionary

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Foun*da"tion, n. Etym: [F. fondation, L. fundatio. See Found to establish.]

1. The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

2. That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; groundwork; basis. Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone . . . a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. Is. xxviii. 16. The foundation of a free common wealth. Motley.

3. (Arch.)

Definition: The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course (see Base course (a), under Base, n.) and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.

4. A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment. He was entered on the foundation of Westminster. Macaulay.

5. That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity. Against the canon laws of our foundation. Milton. Foundation course. See Base course, under Base, n.

– Foundation muslin, an open-worked gummed fabric used for stiffening dresses, bonnets, etc.

– Foundation school, in England, an endowed school.

– To be on a foundation, to be entitled to a support from the proceeds of an endowment, as a scholar or a fellow of a college.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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