fundament

American  

[fuhn-duh-muhnt] / ˈfʌn də mənt /

noun

1. the buttocks.

2. the anus.

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

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of fundament

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

Example Sentences

“Sand is the fundament of all the major new technologies of our time,” he points out, “the material from which we make the microelectronics inside our computers, robots, and networks, among other things.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

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

Gerard says, "the Pimpernel with the blue flower helpeth the fundament that is fallen down: and, contrariwise, red Pimpernel being applied bringeth it down."

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas