Etymology From Middle English elementall, from Medieval Latin elementālis; compare Old French elementel. By surface analysis, element + -al.
1
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Of, relating to, or being an element (as opposed to a compound).
2
Basic, fundamental or elementary.
Those who have escaped the dark and terrible aspects of life will find my brutality, my flash of rage in our final tragedy, easy enough to blame; for they know what is wrong as well as any, but not what is possible to tortured men. But those who have been under the shadow, who have gone down at last to elemental things, will have a wider charity.1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 219:
The pervasive emptiness and stultifying summer heat were only minor deterrents when compared with the more elemental consideration that all the banking and commercial institutions were based elsewhere, chiefly in Philadelphia and New York.2000, Joseph J. Ellis, Founding Brothers, New York: Vintage Books, pages 79–80:
3
Of the ancient supposed elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Seth is the embodiment of mother-right, warfare, terror, human sacrifice; he is an elemental deity who deals in the fundamental reality of blood.1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 216:
4
Broadly Of, or relating to a force of nature, especially to severe atmospheric conditions.
Etymology From Middle English elementall, from Medieval Latin elementālis; compare Old French elementel. By surface analysis, element + -al.
1
Fantasy, Human sciences, Mysticism, Philosophy, Sciences A creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water or variations of them like ice, lightning, etc. They sometimes have unique proper names and sometimes are referred to as Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.
Incidentally, such beings may be said to have an existence of a sort upon the lower astral plane; they are elementals created by man's evil desires and unclean thoughts.1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 115:
This time they got into print, all right. But the much-handled stories, written up with that blend of cautiously defensive frivolity which the press habitually employed to cover themselves in matters regarding sea-serpents, elementals, thought transference, and other irregular phenomena, prevented anyone from realizing that these accomplished plants at all resembled the quiet, respectable weed beside our rubbish heap.1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 39: