rudimentary

From rudiment +‎ -ary.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛntəɹi/, /ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛnt͡ʃɹi/

• Audio (US):

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rudimentary (comparative more rudimentary, superlative most rudimentary)

1. Of or relating to one or more rudiments.

   I have only a rudimentary grasp of chemistry.

2. Basic; minimal; with less than, or only the minimum, necessary.

   His grasp of rudimentary English allowed him at least to do the shopping.

   His rudimentary driving skills meant that he was a danger on the road.

   • 2009 October 2, John Vidal, “'Tilting at windmills: the boy who harnessed the wind'”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Using a tractor fan, shock absorbers, PVC pipes, a bicycle frame and anything else he could lay his hands on, he then built a rudimentary wooden tower, plonked his home-made generator on the top, and eventually got one, and then four bulbs to light up.

   • 2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Safdar, in his rudimentary ambulance, has been at the frontline of the shifting conflicts consuming his city, placing himself at huge personal risk for very little money.

• rudiment

rudimentary (plural rudimentaries)

1. (zoology, usually in the plural) One of the rudimentary mammae of boars.