elementary
elem·en·tary [elementary elementaries] BrE [ˌelɪˈmentri] NAmE [ˌelɪˈmentri] adjective
1. in or connected with the first stages of a course of study
•an elementary English course
•a book for elementary students
•at an elementary level
compare ↑primary, ↑secondary
2. of the most basic kind
•the elementary laws of economics
•an elementary mistake
3. very simple and easy
•elementary questions
Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘composed of the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water’): from Latin elementarius, from elementum ‘principle’, translating Greek stoikheion ‘step, component part’. Current senses date from the mid 16th cent.
Example Bank:
•I made some rather elementary mistakes.
•How could you make such an elementary mistake?
•I'm taking classes in elementary Italian.
•It's an elementary law of economics: the scarcer the commodity, the higher the price.
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