elemental
elemental Lexical Profile
elemental Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Primary or basic; forming an essential, fundamental, or foundational part of something.
"Justice and mutual respect are elemental principles of a stable democratic society."
Relating to, embodying, or resembling the great forces of nature (historically the four classical elements of earth, air, fire, and water); powerful, primal, and untamed.
"The sailors battled the elemental fury of the winter hurricane."
In chemistry, existing as an uncombined chemical element rather than as part of a compound.
"At room temperature, elemental mercury is a dense, silvery liquid."
• noun
In occult lore, mythology, and fantasy fiction, a supernatural being or spirit that embodies and controls one of the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, or water).
"In Renaissance alchemy, Paracelsus classified gnomes, undines, sylphs, and salamanders as elementals inhabiting the natural world."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Elemental' refers to primal natural forces or deep, fundamental passions, whereas 'elementary' means simple, introductory, or uncompounded (as in 'elementary school').
• Rhymes for elemental
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Medieval Latin elementalis, derived from Latin elementum ('first principle, fundamental component, or one of the four classical elements').