bedrock

Plural: bedrocks

Noun

• solid unweathered rock lying beneath surface deposits of soil
• principles from which other truths can be derived
• The solid rock found at some depth below the ground surface.
• A basis or foundation.
• The bones.
• pl. -S the rock under soil

Verb

• To establish on a solid foundation.

Examples

• "If culture is the bedrock of a society, then language is the cornerstone of culture."

Synonyms

basic principle, basics, fundamental principle, fundamentals