élémentaire

elementary, basic

adjective eh-leh-mahn-TAIR Rare

Origin: Latin elementarius

Also means

primary (school level)

Usage Note

Élémentaire describes something fundamental or at the most basic level. In French education, l'école élémentaire is the primary school covering ages 6–11. The phrase c'est élémentaire ('it's elementary') is recognizable to French speakers from the Sherlock Holmes stories, even though Holmes's actual words are often misquoted.

Examples

"Ces règles sont élémentaires et connues de tous."

Natural Translation

These rules are elementary and known by everyone.

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