adj.
- Of, relating to, or constituting the basic, essential, or fundamental part: an elementary need for love and nurturing.
- Of, relating to, or involving the fundamental or simplest aspects of a subject: an elementary problem in statistics.
- Of or relating to an elementary school or elementary education: the elementary grades; elementary teachers.
elementariness el'e·men'ta·ri·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.