Etymograph

English

foundation

Foundation comes from Latin fundātiō ‘founding’, from fundō ‘to found’, from fundus ‘bottom’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn ‘bottom’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰmḗn1‘bottom’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰ-(m)n-o-s1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fundos1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundus1‘bottom’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundō1‘to found, establish’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundātiō1‘founding, foundation’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fondacion1
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foundacioun1
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1777foundation1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English foundation
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal: “Aye Madam to be sure that is the Provoking…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰmḗnWiktionary, English foundation‘bottom’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰ-(m)n-o-sWiktionary, English foundationreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fundosWiktionary, English foundationreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundusWiktionary, English foundation‘bottom’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundōWiktionary, English foundation‘to found, establish’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundātiōWiktionary, English foundation‘founding, foundation’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fondacionWiktionary, English foundation
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foundaciounWiktionary, English foundation
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1777foundationWiktionary, English foundation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal: “Aye Madam to be sure that is the Provoking…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘to sink in’

deep, depth, dumb, dave, dip, deaf, dove, dub, bottomless, typhus, doof, 19 more

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn ‘bottom’

bottom, bot, bourne, 13 more

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰnós

butte, 9 more

through Proto-Italic *fundos

profundity, fundus, fonds, 9 more

through Latin fundus ‘bottom’

fund, honda, fond, 12 more

through Latin fundō

fundamental, confusion, fusion, refund, confuse, funnel, diffuse, infuse, confound, 47 more

Today it means

noun The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “foundation”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn / foundation

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