Plural of bedrock; the solid rock foundation beneath soil and surface materials, or the fundamental basis of something.
From 'bed' (a layer or foundation) combined with 'rock,' literally meaning the rock that forms the bed or base of the earth. First used in geological contexts in the 18th century, later extended metaphorically.
Bedrock became a favorite metaphor in English because geologists discovered that understanding the literal bedrock explained everything above it — so the word spread into business, law, and philosophy to mean 'fundamental truths.'
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