elementary

/ˌˈɛləˌmɛntəri/

/ɛlɪˈmɛntəri/

Things that are elementary are simple or not very advanced, as in elementary school or Sherlock Holmes' famous line, "Elementary, my dear Watson!"

Remember elementary school? That's an earlier, less advanced type of school than middle and high school. Things that are elementary are simpler — easy enough for a first grader to handle. A puzzle that's a snap to solve could be called elementary. We can also say that something is elementary when it's a basic building block of something else: a good breakfast is elementary to healthy nutrition, for example.

Definitions of elementary

1. adjective

   of or being the essential or basic part
   “an elementary need for love and nurturing”

   synonyms: elemental, primary

   basic

   pertaining to or constituting a base or basis
2. adjective

   easy and not involved or complicated
   “an elementary problem in statistics”

   “elementary, my dear Watson”

   synonyms: simple, uncomplicated, unproblematic

   easy

   posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
3. adjective

   of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education
   “the elementary grades”

   “elementary teachers”