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Elementary

//ˌɛlɪˈmɛntəɹi// adj, noun, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something.
  2. 2
    Very simple.
  3. 3
    Relating to an elementary school.
  4. 4
    Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.

    "The physics of elementary particles in the 20th century was distinguished by the observation of particles whose existence had been predicted by theorists sometimes decades earlier."

  5. 5
    Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.; Relating to a subatomic particle.
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.; Involving only a single reaction step and transition state.
  2. 7
    Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.; Which performs a row or column operation on another matrix when the two are multiplied; see Elementary matrix on Wikipedia.Wikipedia (Such matrices are called "elementary" because they generate the general linear group).
  3. 8
    Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.; Arising from Vieta's formulas; see Elementary symmetric polynomial on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  4. 9
    Straightforward, employing only basic techniques; not requiring substantial knowledge (of some particular domain, object, etc.).
  5. 10
    Straightforward, employing only basic techniques; not requiring substantial knowledge (of some particular domain, object, etc.).; Making no use of complex analysis.
  6. 11
    Sublunary; not celestial; belonging to the sublunary sphere, to which the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) were confined; composed of or pertaining to these four elements. archaic
Adjective
  1. 1
    easy and not involved or complicated wordnet
  2. 2
    of or being the essential or basic part wordnet
  3. 3
    of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    Ellipsis of elementary school. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, informal, uncountable

    "At Lakeside Elementary I learned to appreciate the forest."

  2. 2
    A supernatural being associated with the elements. countable

    "The demon (or elementary) of the South-West wind was particularly dreaded, as being the gini of fever and madness."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English elementare, from Latin elementārius (“elementary”), from elementum (“one of the four elements of antiquity; fundamentals”) + -ārius (adjective-forming suffix). Cognate with French élémentaire. By surface analysis, element + -ary.

Etymology 2

From Middle English elementare, from Latin elementārius (“elementary”), from elementum (“one of the four elements of antiquity; fundamentals”) + -ārius (adjective-forming suffix). Cognate with French élémentaire. By surface analysis, element + -ary.

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