fund: [17] Latin fundus meant ‘bottom’. English originally acquired it via French as fond, and in the course of the 17th century re-latinized it to fund. The literal meaning ‘bottom’ was retained until the mid 18th century (‘a Glass-Bubble fix’d to the Fund of a Vessel’, British Apollo 1709), but gradually it gave way to the metaphorical ‘basic supply, particularly of money’. From fundus was derived the Latin verb fundāre ‘lay the bottom for, establish’ (source of English found), and the next step on from this was the noun fundāmentum ‘bottom part, foundation’, which gave English fundament [13] and fundamental [15]. => found, fundament
