Oxford Dictionary English

    elementary

    adjective
    adjective
    BrE BrE//ˌelɪˈmentri//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˌelɪˈmentri//
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  1. 1in or connected with the first stages of a course of study an elementary English course a book for elementary students at an elementary level compare primary, secondary
  2. 2of the most basic kind the elementary laws of economics an elementary mistake
  3. 3very simple and easy elementary questions
    4.  Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘composed of the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water’): from Latin elementarius, from elementum ‘principle’, translating Greek stoikheion ‘step, component part’. Current senses date from the mid 16th cent.Extra examples I made some rather elementary mistakes. How could you make such an elementary mistake? I’m taking classes in elementary Italian. It’s an elementary law of economics: the scarcer the commodity, the higher the price.
See elementary in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee elementary in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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