English

edit

Etymology

edit

Figurative senses from the idea of laying a foundation as the first step in constructing a building.

Verb

edit

lay a foundation (third-person singular simple present lays a foundation, present participle laying a foundation, simple past and past participle laid a foundation)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lay,‎ foundation.
  2. (law) To elicit information from a witness to show that the witness has knowledge of a matter before the witness testifies to the matter itself.
    In order to lay a foundation for the witness to describe the murder, the prosecutor first had to show that the witness was present when the murder occurred.
  3. (figurative) To make a start.
    You should lay a foundation, even if you can't finish the project.
pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy