n. The foundation; the basic or fundamental parts that support or allow for the rest.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. That which forms the foundation or support of anything; the basis; the essential or fundamental part; first principle.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. That which forms the foundation of something; the foundation or basis; the fundamental part, principle, or motive: used of both material and immaterial things.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. lowest support of a structure
n. preliminary preparation as a basis or foundation
n. the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained
Word Usage
"Yes, it needs a bit of time to work out the kinks but I think the groundwork is there for an interesting show that is completely different from Grey's."