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foundation

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foundation

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Foundation  \Foun*da"tion\,  n.  [F.  fondation,  L.  fundatio  See 
  {Found}  to  establish.] 
  1.  The  act  of  founding,  fixing,  establishing,  or  beginning  to 
  erect. 
 
  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. 
 
  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion,  for  a  foundation,  a  stone  .  . 
  .  a  precious  corner  stone,  a  sure  foundation.  --Is. 
  xxviii.  16. 
 
  The  foundation  of  a  free  common  wealth.  --Motley. 
 
  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. 
 
  4.  A  donation  or  legacy  appropriated  to  support  a  charitable 
  institution,  and  constituting  a  permanent  fund;  endowment. 
 
  He  was  entered  on  the  foundation  of  Westminster. 
  --Macaulay. 
 
  5.  That  which  is  founded,  or  established  by  endowment;  an 
  endowed  institution  or  charity. 
 
  Against  the  canon  laws  of  our  foundation.  --Milton. 
 
  {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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  foundation 
  n  1:  the  basis  on  which  something  is  grounded;  "there  is  little 
  foundation  for  his  objections" 
  2:  an  institution  supported  by  an  endowment 
  3:  lowest  supporting  part  of  a  structure;  "it  was  built  on  a 
  base  of  solid  rock";  "he  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  tower" 
  [syn:  {base},  {fundament},  {foot},  {groundwork},  {substructure}, 
  {understructure}] 
  4:  the  fundamental  assumptions  underlying  an  explanation;  "the 
  whole  argument  rested  on  a  basis  of  conjecture"  [syn:  {basis}, 
  {base},  {fundament},  {groundwork},  {cornerstone}] 
  5:  a  woman's  undergarment  worn  to  give  shape  to  the  contours  of 
  the  body  [syn:  {foundation  garment}] 
  6:  starting  something  for  the  first  time  [syn:  {initiation},  {founding}, 
  {institution},  {origination},  {creation},  {instauration}] 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  foundation 
 
  The  axiom  of  foundation  states  that  the  membership  relation  is 
  well  founded,  i.e.  that  any  non-empty  collection  Y  of  sets  has 
  a  member  y  which  is  disjoint  from  Y.  This  rules  out  sets 
  which  contain  themselves  (directly  or  indirectly).




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