noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A fundamental principle or skill, especially in a field of learning. in-plural, often

   "We'll be learning the rudiments of thermodynamics next week."

2. 2
   the remains of a body part that was functional at an earlier stage of life wordnet
3. 3
   A form that lacks full or complex development. in-plural, often

   "I have the rudiments of an escape plan."

4. 4
   A body part that no longer has a function
5. 5
   In percussion, one of a selection of basic drum patterns learned as an exercise.

   "Show me your rudiments."

Verb

1. 1
   To ground; to settle in first principles. transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

abcabc'sabcsalphabetanlagebase

Example

More examples

"We'll be learning the rudiments of thermodynamics next week."

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin rudimentum (“a first attempt, a beginning”), plural rudimenta (“the elements”), from rudis (“rude”); see rude.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.