Phrase guide

foundation stone

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A stone laid during the construction of a (usually important) building, the laying of which is usually marked by a ceremony.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The basis of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a stone laid at a ceremony to mark the founding of a new building

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stone

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: крайъгълен камък (krajǎgǎlen kamǎk) — stone laid during construction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 基石 (jīshí) — stone laid during construction
  • Chinese Mandarin: 奠基石 (diànjīshí) — stone laid during construction
  • Danish: grundsten — stone laid during construction
  • Finnish: peruskivi — stone laid during construction
  • French: première pierre — stone laid during construction
  • Hebrew: אֶבֶן יְסוֹד — stone laid during construction
  • Hebrew: אֶבֶן פִּנָּה — stone laid during construction
  • Hebrew: אֶבֶן שְׁתִיָּה — stone laid during construction
  • Hungarian: alapkő — stone laid during construction
  • Italian: prima pietra — stone laid during construction
  • Khiamniungan Naga: thāyôlòng — stone laid during construction
  • Norwegian Bokmål: grunnstein — stone laid during construction
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: grunnstein — stone laid during construction
  • Portuguese: primeira pedra — stone laid during construction
  • Portuguese: pedra fundamental — stone laid during construction
  • Russian: краеуго́льный ка́мень (krajeugólʹnyj kámenʹ) — stone laid during construction
  • Yiddish: גרונטשטיין (gruntshteyn) — stone laid during construction