foundation

Plural: foundations

Noun

• the basis on which something is grounded
  • "there is little foundation for his objections"
• an institution supported by an endowment
• lowest support of a structure
• education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge
  • "he lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study"
• the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained
• a woman's undergarment worn to give shape to the contours of the body
• the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new
  • "the foundation of a new scientific society"
• The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.
• That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding.
• The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop.
• In solitaire or patience games, one of the piles of cards that the player attempts to build, usually holding all cards of a suit in ascending order.
• The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.
• A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.
• That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.
• Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture.
• A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines.

Examples

• The foundation of his institute has been wrought with difficulty.
• The foundations of this construction have been laid out.
• The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is the parent organization of the Wiktionary collaborative project.

Synonyms

base, basis, cornerstone, creation, foot, foundation garment, founding, fundament, grounding, groundwork, initiation, innovation, instauration, institution, introduction, origination, substructure, understructure, establishment, groundwall, platform, stage, underbuilding, underframework

Antonyms

abolition, dissolution, ruination