lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower"
education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge; "he lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study"; "a good grounding in mathematics"
an institution supported by an endowment
the basis on which something is grounded; "there is little foundation for his objections"
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"
being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer"
of an early stage in the development of a language or literature; "the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C."; "Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700"
very young; "at an early age"
expected in the near future; "look for an early end to the negotiations"
before the usual time or the time expected; "she graduated early"; "the house was completed ahead of time"
something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner"
a minor match preceding the main event
designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding; "a preliminary investigation"
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc; "according to his statement he was in London on that day"
a nonverbal message; "a Cadillac makes a statement about who you are"; "his tantrums are a statement of his need for attention"
(music) the presentation of a musical theme; "the initial statement of the sonata"
a portable container for carrying several objects; "the musicians left their instrument cases backstage"
a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow; "the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase"
the actual state of things; "that was not the case"
nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
a statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument; "he stated his case clearly"
a problem requiring investigation; "Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir"
an occurrence of something; "it was a case of bad judgment"; "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is always the famous example of the Smiths"
a person requiring professional services; "a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor"
the quantity contained in a case
a specific state of mind that is temporary; "a case of the jitters"
look over, usually with the intention to rob; "They men cased the housed"
past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
of a very early stage in development; "Old English is also called Anglo Saxon"; "Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century"
old in experience; "an old offender"; "the older soldiers"
of long duration; not new; "old tradition"; "old house"; "old wine"; "old country"; "old friendships"; "old money"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; "an old man's eagle mind"--William Butler Yeats; "his mother is very old"; "a ripe old age"; "how old are you?"