Foundation

Foundation
Foundation Foun*da"tion, n. [F. fondation, L. fundatio. See {Found} to establish.] 1. The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect. [1913 Webster]

2. 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; groundwork; basis. [1913 Webster]

Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone . . . a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. --Is. xxviii. 16. [1913 Webster]

The foundation of a free common wealth. --Motley. [1913 Webster]

3. (Arch.) The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course (see {Base course} (a), under {Base}, n.) and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry. [1913 Webster]

4. A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment. [1913 Webster]

He was entered on the foundation of Westminster. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

5. That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity; as, the Ford Foundation. [1913 Webster]

Against the canon laws of our foundation. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

{Foundation course}. See {Base course}, under {Base}, n.

{Foundation muslin}, an open-worked gummed fabric used for stiffening dresses, bonnets, etc.

{Foundation school}, in England, an endowed school.

{To be on a foundation}, to be entitled to a support from the proceeds of an endowment, as a scholar or a fellow of a college. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Foundation — may refer to: * Foundation (engineering), the portion of a building s structure that transfers the weight of the building into the ground strata * Foundation (cosmetics), a cosmetic applied to the face * Foundation (nonprofit organization), a… …   Wikipedia

  • foundation — foun·da·tion n 1: a basis upon which something stands or is supported; specif: a witness s preliminary testimony given to identify or explain evidence being offered at trial and establish its connection to the issue for which it is offered the… …   Law dictionary

  • Foundation — • An ecclesiastical foundation is the making over of temporal goods to an ecclesiastical corporation or individual, either by gift during life or by will after death, on the condition of some spiritual work being done either in perpetuity or for… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Foundation — bezeichnet in der englischen Sprache eine Stiftung den Foundation Zyklus von Isaac Asimov ein Kosmetika, siehe: Foundation (Schminke) Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • foundation — UK US /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/ noun ► [C] an organization that has been started in order to provide money for a particular group of people or for a particular type of research: »He gave £1m to set up a charitable foundation to help vulnerable young people.… …   Financial and business terms

  • foundation — [n1] basis for something physical or mental ABCs*, authority, base, basics, bed, bedrock, bottom, bottom line*, brass tacks*, foot, footing, ground, groundwork, guts*, heart*, infrastructure, justification, nitty gritty*, nub*, nuts and bolts*,… …   New thesaurus

  • foundation — ► NOUN 1) the lowest load bearing part of a building, typically below ground level. 2) an underlying basis or principle. 3) justification or reason: there was no foundation for the claim. 4) the action of founding an institution or organization.… …   English terms dictionary

  • foundation — [foun dā′shən] n. [ME foundacioun < OFr fondation < L fundatio < pp. of fundare: see FOUND2] 1. a founding or being founded; establishment 2. a) an organization established to maintain, assist, or finance institutions or projects of a… …   English World dictionary

  • foundation — (n.) late 14c., action of founding, from O.Fr. fondacion (14c.) or directly from L. fundationem (nom. fundatio) a founding, noun of action from pp. stem of fundare (see FOUND (Cf. found) (1)). The Latin word is glossed in O.E. by staþol. Meaning… …   Etymology dictionary

  • foundation — basis, *base, ground, groundwork Antonyms: superstructure …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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