elemental

[ el-uh-men-tl ]

adjective

1. of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple; uncompounded.
2. pertaining to rudiments or first principles.
3. starkly simple, primitive, or basic:

   a spare, elemental prose style; hate, lust, and other elemental emotions.

4. pertaining to the agencies, forces, or phenomena of physical nature:

   elemental gods.

5. comparable to the great forces of nature, as in power or magnitude:

   elemental grandeur.

6. of, relating to, or of the nature of the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or of any one of them.
7. pertaining to chemical elements.

elemental

/ ˌɛlɪˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. fundamental; basic; primal

   the elemental needs of man

2. motivated by or symbolic of primitive and powerful natural forces or passions

   elemental rites of worship

3. of or relating to earth, air, water, and fire considered as elements
4. of or relating to atmospheric forces, esp wind, rain, and cold
5. of, relating to, or denoting a chemical element

noun

1. rare.
   a spirit or force that is said to appear in physical form

Derived Forms

• ˌeleˈmentally, adverb
• ˌeleˈmentalˌism, noun

Other Words From

• ele·mental·ly adverb
• nonel·e·mental adjective
• nonel·e·mental·ly adverb
• postel·e·mental adjective
• preel·e·mental adjective
• subel·e·mental adjective
• subel·e·mental·ly adverb
• transel·e·mental adjective
• unel·e·mental adjective
• unel·e·mental·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of elemental¹

From the Medieval Latin word elementālis, dating back to 1485–95. See element, -al ¹

Example Sentences

In the exhibition, a cycle of elemental return and fundamental waste unfolds in slides projected from an automated tray onto an ordinary freestanding screen.

From Los Angeles Times

"You've never seen anything like it - it's this incredible almost volcanic elemental thing, which is quite terrifying," he added.

From BBC

He was distinguished by the “elemental force he brings to the stage,” Marks wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

“Martyrs” features four vertical plasma screens showing silent suffering and martyrdom through the title’s four elemental forces.

From Los Angeles Times

“At the same time, a second cook prepares the excellent corn tortillas alongside. The resulting combination is elemental and pure.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• elementary