elementary

[el-uh-men-tuh-ree, -tree]

adjective

1. pertaining to or dealing with elements, rudiments, or first principles.

   an elementary grammar.

2. of or relating to an elementary school.

   elementary teachers.

3. of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple or uncompounded.

4. pertaining to the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or to the great forces of nature; elemental.

5. Chemistry.,  of or noting one or more elements.

elementary

/ -trɪ, ˌɛlɪˈmɛntərɪ /

adjective

1. not difficult; simple; rudimentary

2. of or concerned with the first principles of a subject; introductory or fundamental

3. maths (of a function) having the form of an algebraic, exponential, trigonometric, or a logarithmic function, or any combination of these

4. chem another word for elemental

Other Word Forms

• elementarily adverb
• elementariness noun
• nonelementary adjective
• postelementary adjective
• preelementary adjective
• quasi-elementary adjective
• superelementary adjective
• transelementary adjective
• unelementary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of elementary¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English elementare (from Middle French elementaire ), from Latin elementārius. See element, -ary

Synonym Study

Elementary, primary, rudimentary refer to what is basic and fundamental. Elementary refers to the introductory, simple, easy facts or parts of a subject that must necessarily be learned first in order to understand succeeding ones: elementary arithmetic. Primary may mean much the same as elementary; however, it usually emphasizes the idea of what comes first even more than that of simplicity: primary steps. Rudimentary applies to what is undeveloped or imperfect: a rudimentary form of government.

Example Sentences

He set up 529 accounts, which have historically been used to pay for college, but today can be put to use outside of higher education, including elementary and secondary-school tuition and vocational training programs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Cynthia Rehberg, an associate principal from a Wisconsin elementary school, found her staff photo had been inaccurately posted on X along with a social-media post celebrating Kirk’s death.

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Toyoake's ordinance urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9 pm, while junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10 pm.

Read more on Barron's

He also spotlighted the new reading bill, which he formally signed Thursday at a Los Angeles elementary school.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Roske also expressed concerns that Kavanaugh would vote to loosen gun regulations in another case, and was upset about a mass shooting earlier that year at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• elemental 
• fundamental 
• rudimentary 
• straightforward 
• underlying 

When To Use

What does elementary mean?

Elementary describes the basics or beginning steps of something. Elementary lessons in soccer, for example, might include how to dribble the ball.The most common use of elementary in the US is in the phrase elementary school, the first few years of schooling, when the basics of reading, math, and other important subjects are taught. An elementary teacher is someone who teaches in elementary school and an elementary math book is a book with math lessons aimed at elementary schoolchildren.Elementary can also be used in the context of chemical elements, which are a class of substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. In older scientific studies and belief systems, the Earth was believed to be elementarily comprised of four elements: earth, fire, water, and air.Related to that, something that is elementary is simple or uncompounded.Example: Times tables are simply elementary, so I do not need a calculator.