Other forms: rudiments
A rudiment is one of the first simple parts of a subject. The rudiments of Latin, learn the rudiments, only the rudiments.
It is nearly always plural and means the basics you must have before anything else. In drumming the rudiments are a named set of patterns every player learns, and in biology a rudimentary organ is one that never developed.
1nounrudimentOne of the first simple parts of a subject.
“The course covers the rudiments of first aid, like checking breathing and stopping bleeding.”
rudiment is a basic.
Latin rudimentum means a first attempt, from rudis, rough or unformed.
Latin
rudīmentum
Old French
rudiment
English, today
rudiment
Built from
From Old French rudiment, from Latin rudīmentum. From Old French rudiment, from Latin rudimentum (“a first attempt, a beginning”), plural rudimenta (“the elements”), from rudis (“rude”); see rude. by surface analysis, rude + -i- + -ment.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA