What does rudimentary mean?
Word: Rudimentary
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Rudimentary means at an early, simple stage, or covering only the simplest facts about something.
Synonyms: elementary, primitive
Antonyms: advanced, sophisticated
Word origin: From Latin rudimentum, built on rudis.
How do you spell rudimentary?
Syllables: ru - di - men - ta - ry
Tricky part: Many students end it with ery. The last part is really ary, and the a is hard to hear.
Watch out for: rudimentery, rudimentory, rudimentairy
Memory tip: Finish with A Rough Yardstick: the letters a, r and y close the word, and a rough yardstick is about as simple as measuring gets.
Rudimentary in a sentence
Example 1: My grandfather has only a rudimentary knowledge of smartphones, but he sends lovely voice notes.
Example 2: The earliest bicycles had rudimentary brakes that worked poorly on hills.
Example 3: Our team built a rudimentary model of the bridge from ice-cream sticks.
Fun Fact
Biologists use the word too: the tiny wings of the New Zealand kiwi are often called rudimentary because the bird cannot fly with them.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
u, i, e, a
a) c_mpl_m_nt_ry
b) r_d_m_nt_ry
c) s_d_m_nt_ry
d) d_c_m_nt_ry
Show answer
b) r_d_m_nt_ry. Documentary, sedimentary and complimentary all open with a different vowel from this one.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ru' pronounced differently?
a) ruby
b) ruler
c) rudimentary
d) rugby
Show answer
d) rugby. Rugby has the short vowel of cup; the rest have the long sound of rule.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) scarce : abundent
b) transparent : opaque
c) rudimentary : advanced
d) fragile : sturdy
Show answer
a) scarce : abundent. Abundant is the slip here, since it ends in ant.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
etmuyrdrnia
a) fixed by law for everybody in the country
b) built to last for many hundreds of years
c) taught or known only at the most basic level
d) kept secret among a very small group of people
Show answer
c) taught or known only at the most basic level. These letters make the word for knowledge or skill that has only just begun.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone with a rudimentary grasp of chess is able to ____.
a) move the pieces correctly
b) teach advanced endgames
c) beat a grandmaster easily
d) write a book of tactics
Show answer
a) move the pieces correctly
2. On a trek, which of these counts as a rudimentary shelter?
a) a brick house with three floors
b) a hotel with a roof garden
c) a sheet tied between two trees
d) a heated cabin with glass walls
Show answer
c) a sheet tied between two trees
