The solid base or structure that a building is built upon; also means the basic ideas or principles that something is based on.
From Latin 'fundatio,' derived from 'fundus' meaning 'bottom' or 'base.' The word entered English through Old French and kept its core meaning of something that supports or underlies everything else.
Foundations are literally and figuratively the most important invisible part of anything—the Leaning Tower of Pisa wouldn't be famous if its foundation hadn't been slightly off! Even today, engineers obsess over foundations because they determine everything that comes after.
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