English dictionary

rudiment

/'r/u/d/@/m/@/nt/

Definitions, examples, synonyms and antonyms from WordNet 3.0.

noun

the elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)

noun.cognition

Examples
He mastered only the rudiments of geometry.

Source: WordNet 3.0
the remains of a body part that was functional at an earlier stage of life

noun.body

Examples
Meckel's diverticulum is the rudiment of the embryonic yolk sac.

Source: WordNet 3.0
That which is unformed or undeveloped; the principle which lies at the bottom of any development; an unfinished beginning.

noun

Source: webster1913

To furnish with first principles or rules; to insrtuct in the rudiments.

verb

Source: webster1913