Word of the Day: Elementary

elementary

 el-e-men-ta-ry / ĕl-ə-mĕn-tə-rē, ĕl-ə-mĕn-trē

adjective

1. pertaining to the most basic or fundamental part

Language is the most elementary aspect to our humanness, probably.

George Carlin, 1937 – 2008

2. pertaining to the first or most basic facts or principles; rudimentary

The most elementary of good manners . . . at a social gathering one does not bring up the subject of personalities, sad topics or unfortunate facts, religion, or politics.

Laura Esquivel. 1950 –

3. not complicated; easy; simple

Our hope is that the elementary reading of comics will lead to the joy of reading good books.

Nelson Mandela, 1918 – 2013

4. pertaining to a school or education level that includes the first four to eight grades and frequently a kindergarten

Our whole educational system, from the elementary schools to the universities, is increasingly turning out people who have never heard enough conflicting arguments to develop the skills and discipline required to produce a coherent analysis, based on logic and evidence.

Thomas Sowell, 1930 –