fundamental law
1
5.6
- noun
- /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl lɔ/
- Formal
:
ley fundamental
- My interviews encompassed a great variety of topics germane to the issues of the times, and many of the topics we discussed reflected their perceptions of our country's fundamental laws, especially the Bill of Rights.
Examples
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In American politics, the superior authority, or sovereign, is sometimes said to be the people, which has its commands reflected in the U.S. Constitution, the fundamental law, while sometimes it is said to be Congress, which issues commands in the form of laws.
Academic text (1998) -
Every citizen is subject to the fundamental law, which outlines their rights and responsibilities.
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No word on the tax rate in the new fundamental law.
Blog text (22) -
But they may have different fundamental laws as well as different customs.
Fiction book (1992) -
The world consistently works by certain fundamental laws that can be used to make predictions.
Blog text (2) -
If fundamental laws are called into question, the bases of society are thereby called into question, and society may fall.
Academic text (1994) -
These notable additions to the fundamental law were welcomed by the friends of liberty throughout the world.
Academic text (2006) -
Indeed, insofar as a statute runs counter to the fundamental law of the land, it is superseded thereby.
Blog text (11) -
The fundamental law of the country guarantees freedom of speech and assembly.
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Changes to the fundamental law require a two-thirds majority vote in the legislature.
Synonyms
484
5.1
A set of rules, often written, that shows how a country or organization is run
31
4.7
Main laws of a country made by its government
1
7.9
A basic law like a constitution that sets the main rules and structure of a government
How Fundamental
- Formal
1
5.6
- Formal
538
5.0
∞
1.0
- Formal
234
5.5
- Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'fundamental' (essential, basic) modifies 'law' (a rule), so the phrase denotes an essential or basic law (often the constitution). This modifier+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Fundamental law comes from the image of a building's base: fundamental means a strong 'foundation' and law means the rules of a country. So, a fundamental law is like the country's foundation, the main rule or 'constitution' that all other laws must follow.