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


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


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



RESET




Word of the Day

26 November 2024

TRANSPOSITION

(noun) (music) playing in a different key from the key intended; moving the pitch of a piece of music upwards or downwards


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

An article published in Harvard Men’s Health Watch in 2012 shows heavy coffee drinkers live longer. The researchers examined data from 400,000 people and found out that men who drank six or more coffee cups per day had a 10% lower death rate.

coffee icon