From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
foundation
n 1: the basis on which something is grounded; "there is little
foundation for his objections"
2: an institution supported by an endowment
3: lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of
solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower" [syn:
foundation, base, fundament, foot, groundwork,
substructure, understructure]
4: education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of
knowledge; "he lacks the foundation necessary for advanced
study"; "a good grounding in mathematics" [syn: foundation,
grounding]
5: the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or
developed or calculated or explained; "the whole argument
rested on a basis of conjecture" [syn: basis, base,
foundation, fundament, groundwork, cornerstone]
6: a woman's undergarment worn to give shape to the contours of
the body [syn: foundation garment, foundation]
7: the act of starting something for the first time; introducing
something new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an
adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society" [syn:
initiation, founding, foundation, institution,
origination, creation, innovation, introduction,
instauration]