foundation stone
1
4.5
- noun
- /faʊnˈdeɪʃən stoʊn/
- UK
:
piedra angular
- Whilst there was no split between science and philosophy during this Early Modern period, Bacon laid the foundation stone for the divergence of the two disciplines.
- laid the foundation stone
Examples
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It is the foundation stone of Christianity.
Blog text (34) -
Here is where we laid the foundation stone.
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The group will also lay the foundation stone for a new hospital to be named after the Tunisian capital.
Blog text (17) -
The granite foundation stones were much thicker than for any of the p91 houses, and you could picture them rising up higher, supporting more weight.
Fiction book (1995) -
Unlike other houses, of which only foundation stones remain, the Vetulonia house has partly standing walls and the first intact Etruscan bricks ever found.
Academic text (2010) -
In October 1937, as if in proof of its durability, a foundation stone was laid at a ceremony in which Mussolini glorified 'the spiritual mustering of the nations.'
Academic text (2010) -
Here and there were the remnants of a house as part of a shanty: charred roof tiles and foundation stones, a splintered plank of red pine, and a blackened roof beam.
Fiction book (1992) -
Pinkerton's work on the Molly Maguires is chiefly of interest as the foundation stone of all subsequent stories on the subject, and the basic storyline (heroic detective brings evil terrorists to justice) is sufficiently well-known that it need not be repeated here.
Academic text (1995) -
The community gathered to witness the laying of the foundation stone for the new library.
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During the ceremony, the architect explained the significance of the foundation stone and its inscription.
Synonyms
6
5.3
A stone placed at the corner of a building during a ceremony to mark its foundation
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'foundation' and 'stone' clearly signal a stone related to a building's foundation, so a learner can infer it refers to an important stone associated with the start of construction. However, the specifically ceremonial sense (laid with a ceremony and often inscribed) is a cultural convention that may not be fully predictable from the words alone, making the phrase only partly compositional.
Etymology
The noun foundation stone comes from the old building practice of placing a special stone at the foundation of a new building during a ceremony, often carved with the date and name. That's why the phrase means 'a stone placed to mark the beginning of construction'.