fundament

American  

[fuhn-duh-muhnt] / ˈfʌn də mənt /

noun

1. the buttocks.

2. the anus.

3. a base or basic principle; underlying part; foundation.

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fundament British  

/ ˈfʌndəmənt /

noun

1. euphemistic the buttocks

2. the natural features of the earth's surface, unaltered by man

3. a base or foundation, esp of a building

4. a theory, principle, or underlying basis

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Etymology

Origin of fundament

1250–1300; < Latin fundāmentum foundation; replacing Middle English fondement < Old French. See found ¹, -ment

Example Sentences

Stevo Pendarovski, president of North Macedonia, called peace “the fundament of everything.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 23, 2023

The Princeton-based composer, 32, collapses perceptions between East and West, electronic and acoustic, fundament and future.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2022

Since the Renaissance, the fundament of Western civilization has been an embrace of rationalism, which has become foundational to governance, economics and technology.

From Salon • May 3, 2020

But this isn’t the first time a coach has sacralized football as the fundament of America.

From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2018

A bit of cotton wool applied to the fundament to receive the matter, and renewed twice a day for a week or two, should always be used before examination with the probe.

From Zoonomia, Vol. II Or, the Laws of Organic Life by Darwin, Erasmus