rudiment

noun

ru·​di·​ment ˈrü-də-mənt 

1

: a basic principle or element or a fundamental skill

—usually used in plural

teaching themselves the rudiments of rational government

—G. B. Galanti

2

a

: something unformed or undeveloped : beginning

—usually used in plural

the rudiments of a plan

b(1)

: a body part so deficient in size or structure as to be entirely unable to perform its normal function

(2)

: an organ just beginning to develop : anlage

rudimental

ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tᵊl 

adjective

Synonyms

• ABC(s)
• alphabet
• basics
• elements
• essentials
• fundamentals
• grammar
• principles

Examples of rudiment in a Sentence

learned the rudiments of mathematics

Recent Examples on the Web

The Frankfurt intellectuals’ Marxist faith in working-class resistance and militancy kept them from fully grasping the extent of Hitler’s successful obliteration of even the barest rudiments of political opposition. —William E. Scheuerman, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2013

That’s when a bipartisan commission led by Alan Greenspan, the future Federal Reserve chair, came up with the rudiments of a legislative package that put the system on a firm financial footing for a while. —Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 31 May 2024

Ben Stokes came on this tour, it was said, to learn the rudiments of Test cricket, to be around the dressing room. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

Shaffer had seen in Pushkin’s playlet the rudiments of a grand spectacle, framed, like so many of his plays, as a duel between two men of different generations. —Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin rudimentum beginning, from rudis raw, rude

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rudiment

noun

ru·​di·​ment ˈrüd-ə-mənt 

1

: a basic principle or skill

—usually used in plural

the rudiments of grammar

2

a

: something unformed or undeveloped : beginning

—usually used in plural

b

: a body part so underdeveloped in size or structure that it is unable to perform its normal function

Medical Definition

rudiment

noun

ru·​di·​ment ˈrüd-ə-mənt 

: an incompletely developed organ or part

especially : an organ or part just beginning to develop : anlage