Rudiment
WordNet
noun
(1) The remains of a body part that was functional at an earlier stage of life
"Meckel's diverticulum is the rudiment of the embryonic yolk sac"
(2) The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)
"He mastered only the rudiments of geometry"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From < , plural < ; see .
Noun
- A fundamental principle or skill, especially in a field of learning (often in the plural).
- We learn the rudiments of thermodynamics next week.
- Something in an undeveloped form (often in the plural)
- I have the rudiments of an escape plan.
- A body part that no longer has a function
- In percussion, one of a selection of basic drum patterns learned as an exercise.