elemental

[ el-uh-men-tl ]

/ ˌɛl əˈmɛn tl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR elemental ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple; uncompounded.

pertaining to rudiments or first principles.

starkly simple, primitive, or basic: a spare, elemental prose style; hate, lust, and other elemental emotions.

pertaining to the agencies, forces, or phenomena of physical nature: elemental gods.

comparable to the great forces of nature, as in power or magnitude: elemental grandeur.

of, relating to, or of the nature of the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or of any one of them.

pertaining to chemical elements.

Origin of elemental

From the Medieval Latin word elementālis, dating back to 1485–95. See element, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM elemental

el·e·men·tal·ly, adverb non·el·e·men·tal, adjective non·el·e·men·tal·ly, adverb post·el·e·men·tal, adjective

pre·el·e·men·tal, adjective sub·el·e·men·tal, adjective sub·el·e·men·tal·ly, adverb trans·el·e·men·tal, adjective un·el·e·men·tal, adjective un·el·e·men·tal·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elemental

elemental elementary

Words nearby elemental

element 112, element 113, element 114, element 115, element 116, elemental, elementary, elementary charge, elementary function, elementary granules, elementary particle

Example sentences from the Web for elemental

The word primitive does not do justice to the elemental nature of dining in one of the great barbecue parlors of this region.

The Texas Church of Beef |Jane & Michael Stern |April 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He returned medicine to its most elemental form—a profession that tries to help out someone who is sick.

C. Everett Koop: Pioneering Surgeon General Spurred Reagan Response to AIDS |Kent Sepkowitz |February 26, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Yet it does point out how elemental health and health care are—for both citizens and those running for election.

Mitt’s Bizarre Lyme Disease Offensive |Kent Sepkowitz |October 2, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The more important dynamic at work, Firman said, is the longer-term process of elemental self-discovery that can happen.

Michael Ybarra’s Death Underscores the Allure and Dangers of Solo Climbing |Scott C. Johnson |July 15, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Buffett in his action has boiled down the entire health-care debate to its most elemental: what is the cost of peace of mind?

Warren Buffett’s Cancer Decoded |Kent Sepkowitz |April 19, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
There was no getting forth, no living creature of free will "took water" in this elemental crisis.

His Unquiet Ghost |Charles Egbert Craddock (AKA Mary Noailles Murfree)
I wish they had more knowledge of books, and could be got to think in some elemental fashion about art.

All Sorts and Conditions of Men |Walter Besant
At any rate, if he failed to do so, he had nothing to fear from a foe who did not know enough to use an elemental advantage.

Brave Tom |Edward S. Ellis
According to mediæval belief, the Sylphs were elemental spirits of the air; the Gnomes the elemental spirits of the earth.

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, Vol. VII |William Wordsworth
This elemental essence is marvelously sensitive to human thought, however fleeting.

Ghosts I Have Seen |Violet Tweedale

British Dictionary definitions for elemental

elemental

/ (ˌɛlɪˈmɛntəl) /

adjective

fundamental; basic; primal the elemental needs of man

motivated by or symbolic of primitive and powerful natural forces or passions elemental rites of worship

of or relating to earth, air, water, and fire considered as elements

of or relating to atmospheric forces, esp wind, rain, and cold

of, relating to, or denoting a chemical element

noun

rare a spirit or force that is said to appear in physical form

Derived forms of elemental

elementally, adverb elementalism, noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

elemental

adjective

Origin of elemental

OTHER WORDS FROM elemental

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elemental

Words nearby elemental

Example sentences from the Web for elemental

British Dictionary definitions for elemental

adjective

noun

Derived forms of elemental

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

elemental

adjective

Origin of elemental

OTHER WORDS FROM elemental

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elemental

Words nearby elemental

Words related to elemental

Example sentences from the Web for elemental

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for elemental

adjective

noun

Derived forms of elemental

British Dictionary definitions for elemental