English → Latin
“fundamental” in Latin
prīmusfirst, early; chief, principal; most excellent, eminent; distinguished, noble; the first part of; the entrance, extremitprīmāriusOne of the first, of the first rank, chief, principal, excellent, remarkable. It was used as the title of a position in prīncipālisfirst, original; chief, principalcausacause, reason; case, claim, contention; cause, judicial process, lawsuitnōtitiafame, renown, celebrity; knowledge; acquaintanceprī̆ncepsfirst, foremost; chief, distinguished
The English word fundamental itself goes back to Latin fundus, through fundāmentālis.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
fundamental adj.
primus: primarius (first): principalis (primary; chief; e.g., causa). A fundamental law, lex primaria: a fundamental notion, prima notio or notitia: principium: intelligentia quasi fundamentum scientiae (Cic., Legg., 1, 9). A fundamental principle or rule, praeceptum firmum et stabile (Cic.): the fundamental articles of a constitution, instituta prima: the fundamental principles of human nature, principia naturae, quibus parere et quae sequi debes (Cic., or debent omnes).
fundamental s.
Fundamentals, *capita doctrinae sacrae prima or principalia, or *doctrinae sacrae principia.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for fundamental?
- The usual Latin words for “fundamental” are prīmus, prīmārius, prīncipālis; also causa, nōtitia, prī̆nceps. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.