Dictionary

bedrock en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɛdˌɹɑk/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɛd.ɹɒk/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From bed (“a layer on top of which something else rests.”) + rock.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The solid rock found at some depth below the ground surface.
   • The denudation of the land was upon a grand scale. All superficial accumulations were swept away, and the bedrock was exposed. 1880, Mark Twain [pseudonym] (Samuel L[anghorne] Clemens), chapter XL, in A Tramp Abroad; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 466:
   • Listen! It's big. Only eight to twenty feet to bedrock. There won't be a claim that don't run to half a million. 1912 October, Jack London, “The Stampede to Squaw Creek”, in Smoke Bellew, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co, →OCLC:
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) A basis or foundation.
   • Now, although like most young people, Godfrey was indolent and evasive of difficulties, fearful of facing troubles also, he had a bedrock of character. 1918, H[enry] Rider Haggard, chapter VIII, in Love Eternal:
   • Many of the bedrock assumptions of American culture — about work, progress, fairness and optimism — are being shaken as successive generations worry about the prospect of declining living standards. 2012 October 23, David Leonhardt, “Standard of Living Is in the Shadows as Election Issue”, in New York Times, retrieved 24 Oct 2012:
   • Above all, rail needs to be boring. By that, I mean that it must run its timetable reliably, day-in and day-out. Punctuality and reliability remain the bedrock of a successful railway. 2023 April 5, Philip Haigh, “Comment: Pay deal a positive result”, in RAIL, number 980, page 3:
   • The research on the Like button was an example of how Facebook has questioned the bedrock features of social networking. 2021 October 25, Mike Isaac, “Facebook Wrestles With the Features It Used to Define Social Networking”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • If culture is the bedrock of a society, then language is the cornerstone of culture.
3. (Internet, countable, qualifier:self-harm, uncountable) The bones.

Forms

Deriveds

bedrocky · get down to bedrock

Hypernyms

rock

Translations (52)

eo bazroko (underground solid rock) · ru бедро́к (underground solid rock) · da klippe (underground solid rock) · sv berggrund (underground solid rock) · cy creigwely (underground solid rock) · es cimiento (basis or foundation) · cs skalní podloží (underground solid rock) · de Grundgestein (underground solid rock) · fi peruskallio (basis or foundation) · es basa (basis or foundation) · fr roche mère (underground solid rock) · nn berggrunn (underground solid rock) · nb fjellgrunn (underground solid rock) · rm crap-mamma (underground solid rock) · de Muttergestein (underground solid rock) · ka ქვენაფენი ქანი (underground solid rock) · de Grundlage (basis or foundation) · tl palanas (underground solid rock) · nb berggrunn (underground solid rock) · yi יסוד־שטיין (underground solid rock) · pt rocha-mãe (underground solid rock) · nl grondgesteente (underground solid rock) · pl skała macierzysta (underground solid rock) · fi kallioperä (underground solid rock) · es lecho pétreo (underground solid rock) · pl fundament (basis or foundation) · ru коренна́я поро́да (underground solid rock) · ru коренна́я подстила́ющая поро́да (underground solid rock) · de Fundament (basis or foundation) · tr kaide (basis or foundation) · cmn 基岩 (underground solid rock) · es roca firme (underground solid rock) · bg основна скала (underground solid rock) · is berggrunnur (underground solid rock) · gv bun-charrick (underground solid rock) · cy craigwely (underground solid rock) · tl lunas na bato (underground solid rock) · fr soubassement (underground solid rock) · nn fjellgrunn (underground solid rock) · br karregad vamm (underground solid rock) · ru бе́дрок (underground solid rock) · fa سنگ بستر (underground solid rock) · nl fundament (basis or foundation) · ja 基盤岩 (underground solid rock) · ga buncharraig (underground solid rock) · de Basis (basis or foundation) · es roca madre (underground solid rock) · de anstehendes Gestein (underground solid rock) · tr ana kayaç (underground solid rock) · es material rocoso (underground solid rock) · nl moedergesteente (underground solid rock) · tr ana kaya (underground solid rock)

bedrock en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɛdˌɹɑk/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɛd.ɹɒk/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From bed (“a layer on top of which something else rests.”) + rock.

Meanings

1. (figuratively, transitive) To establish on a solid foundation.
   • Bedrocked in the formative race relations of the Heart of Dixie, the governor declined an invitation to the unveiling of artist Maya Lin's civil rights memorial in downtown Montgomery. 2011, Allen Tullos, Alabama Getaway: The Political Imaginary and the Heart of Dixie, page 128:

Forms