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cimiento

see-MYEN-toh/θiˈmjento/

foundation

Also: base
NounmB1
A thick, solid concrete base of a house under construction showing the structural support.

📝 In Action

Los obreros están terminando de poner los cimientos de la casa.

B1

The workers are finishing laying the foundations of the house.

Si los cimientos son débiles, el edificio puede ser peligroso.

B2

If the foundations are weak, the building can be dangerous.

Echaron el hormigón para el cimiento esta mañana.

C1

They poured the concrete for the foundation this morning.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • echar los cimientos – to lay the foundations
  • cimientos sólidos – solid foundations

basis

Also: cornerstone
NounmB2formal
A single bright green sprout growing out of a small pile of rich dark soil.

📝 In Action

La confianza es el cimiento de una buena amistad.

B2

Trust is the foundation of a good friendship.

Sus estudios pusieron los cimientos para la medicina moderna.

C1

His studies laid the foundations for modern medicine.

Ese argumento no tiene ningún cimiento lógico.

C2

That argument has no logical basis.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • fundamento (foundation/basis)
  • pilar (pillar)
  • raíz (root)

Common Collocations

  • sentar los cimientos – to lay the groundwork
  • sin cimiento – without basis/groundless

Idioms & Expressions

  • desde los cimientos – from the ground up / completely from the start

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "cimiento" in Spanish:

base→basis→cornerstone→foundation→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: cimiento

Question 1 of 3

Which word would you use to describe the gray powder mixed with water to build a wall?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
cimentar(to found / to establish) — Verb
cimentación(founding / foundation-laying) — Noun
cimentado(grounded / established) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'caementum', which meant 'quarry stone' or 'stone chips used for making mortar'. It eventually evolved to refer to the base made from those materials.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: cementFrench: ciment

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'cimiento' only for buildings?

No! While it originally refers to buildings, it is very common in Spanish to use it for abstract things like relationships, theories, or systems.

Is it 'el cimiento' or 'la cimiento'?

It is always masculine: 'el cimiento'.

What is the difference between 'cimiento' and 'fundamento'?

They are very similar. 'Cimiento' is more common for physical buildings, while 'fundamento' is more common for ideas and reasoning, though they are often used as synonyms in figurative speech.