| Rudiment 1. (n.) That which is unformed or undeveloped; the principle which lies at the bottom of any development; an unfinished beginning. 2. (n.) Hence, an element or first principle of any art or science; a beginning of any knowledge; a first step. 3. (n.) An imperfect organ or part, or one which is never developed. 4. (v. t.) To furnish with first principles or rules; to instruct in the rudiments. Thesaurus Entries Anlage, base, basement, basic, basis, bearing wall, bed, bedding, bedrock, blastula, bud, egg, element, elements, embryo, fetus, floor, flooring, fond, footing, foundation, fundament, fundamental, fundamentals, germ, germen, grammar, ground, grounds, groundwork, hardpan, larva, loins, nucleus, nymph, ovum, part and parcel, pavement, principle, principles, radical, riprap, rock bottom, seat, seed, sill, solid ground, solid rock, spermatozoon, stereobate, stylobate, substratum, terra firma, underbuilding, undercarriage, undergirding, underpinning, understruction, understructure, zygote |