fundamental unit

British  

noun

1. one of a set of unrelated units that form the basis of a system of units. For example, the metre, kilogram, and second are fundamental units of the SI system

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Example Sentences

He makes the case that, while human brains are marvels of complexity, their fundamental unit, the neuron, isn’t so different from that of sea slugs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

All living things are made of cells; the cell itself is the smallest fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Underlying these conceptual frameworks is the recognition that the fundamental unit of the theater isn’t the performer alone but the performer in physical proximity to an audience.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2020

Councils are Britain’s fundamental unit of local government, dealing with an array of basic needs: trash collection, public transport, libraries, town planning, and care for children and other vulnerable people, among other things.

From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2018

The atom—the fundamental unit of matter—was actually made of even more fundamental units of matter: electrons, protons, and neutrons.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee