rudimentary
/ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛntəɹi/ adjective, noun
Forms rudimentaries
- adjective Of or relating to one or more rudiments; of the nature of an early stage.
- adjective Basic; minimal; with less than, or only the minimum, necessary. “I have only a rudimentary grasp of chemistry.”
- noun (zoology, usually in the plural) One of the rudimentary (adjective sense 1) mammae of boars.
Synonyms
immature imperfect rudimental undeveloped modest stripped down austere bare bare-bones bargain basic cheap default discreet economy elemental elementary essential foundational fundamental underlying vestigial
Etymology
From rudiment + -ary (adjectival suffix), perhaps after New Latin rudīmentārius, from Classical Latin rudīmentum (“first attempt; beginning”) + -ārius (adjectival suffix). Compare French rudimentaire.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of or pertaining to rudiments; consisting in first principles; elementary; initial; as, rudimental essays.
- adjective Very imperfectly developed; in an early stage of development; embryonic.
Etymology [Cf. F. rudimentaire.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rudimentary”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details