foundation stone
Americannoun
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any of the stones composing the foundation of a building.
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a cornerstone.
noun
Etymology
Origin of foundation stone
First recorded in 1645–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Watson’s 1965 textbook, “Molecular Biology of the Gene,” became a foundation stone of modern biology.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for its construction in December last year.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2025
"It is completely staggering... that an organisation envisaged as a foundation stone of our collective security was established with a leadership hamstrung by a lack of formal governance," committee chair Meg Hillier said.
From Reuters • Jul. 4, 2023
The current emir’s mother, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al-Missned, had laid the foundation stone for the project in the heart of Beirut in 2009.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 4, 2023
On April 14, 1253, the bishop of Chutreaux blessed the first foundation stone as it was lowered onto the bed of small stones covering the clay at the bottom of the excavation.
From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
