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

Police are searching for a man who drew a swastika outside a Beverly Hills elementary school on Monday, which marked the start of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.

From Los Angeles Times

“Eureka Day” takes its name from the fictional private elementary school in Berkeley that is the setting for what is both a satire of anti-vaccine culture and a comedy of woke manners.

From Los Angeles Times

He graduated with an associate’s degree in elementary education 2009, and enrolled at Cal State Long Beach, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies.

From Los Angeles Times

Parents in Montgomery County, Md., had sued over new LGBTQ+ storybooks that were used in kindergarten and other elementary school classes.

From Los Angeles Times

A few gorgeous floral stencils, small sculptures and a stained glass window remain from Lloyd’s work in the auditorium of the former South Pasadena elementary school, which closed to students in 1979.

From Los Angeles Times

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.