Bedrocks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A foundational layer of solid rock that provides support for soil and structures above it
2. The solid base layer beneath loose material, essential for stability in geological formations
3. The core element of a system or concept that forms the underlying support for further development or growth

Etymology: "Bedrocks" is the plural of "bedrock," so it is the form used when speaking of several foundations at once, often in figurative senses such as the basic principles underlying something. "Bedrock" itself combines "bed," in the sense of a layer on which something else rests, with "rock." The image is literal: the solid stone lying beneath the soil, gravel and sediment that sit on top of it, like the base a structure is built upon. The metaphorical use grew from that picture. A foundation that everything else depends on is the bedrock of an argument, a belief or an institution, and the plural extends the idea to several such foundations at once.

Synonyms: foundations, basements