bedrock

noun

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.”

   “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.”

2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable)A basis or foundation.

   “If culture is the bedrock of a society, then language is the cornerstone of culture.”

   “Now, although like most young people, Godfrey was indolent and evasive of difficulties, fearful of facing troubles also, he had a bedrock of character.”

   “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.”

   “The research on the Like button was an example of how Facebook has questioned the bedrock features of social networking.”

   “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.”

3. (Internet, countable, uncountable)The bones.

verb

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.”