Definition of: foundation

(foun·dā′shən) noun
1. The act of founding or establishing.
2. That on which anything is founded and by which it is supported or sustained.
3. A fund for the permanent maintenance of an institution; an endowment.
4. An endowed institution.
5. A structure upon which a building or a machine is erected, usually wholly or principally of masonry; that part of a building below the surface of the ground, or the portion that constitutes a base; sometimes, a platform, on which the upper portions rest.
6. An inner, fitted lining of a garment.
7. Theatrical grease paint applied to the face, hands, etc., before adding the final make–up details.
—foun·da′·tion·al adjective