Link Centre Dictionary

groundwork

ground·work

UK/ˈɡɹaʊndˌwɜːɹk/ US/ˈɡraʊˌndwɜrk/ uncommon

noun

1.

the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained

  • “the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture”
2.

lowest support of a structure

  • “it was built on a base of solid rock”
  • “he stood at the foot of the tower”
3.

preliminary preparation as a basis or foundation

  • “we are prepared today because of groundwork that was done ten years ago”

Origin

From ground + work.

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.