FOUNDATION, the act of building, or instituting on a permanent basis, the establishing of any institution by endowing it with funds for its continual maintenance, and hence the insti tutions so established. The terms "on the foundation," or "foundationer," are used of members of a college or society who enjoy, as fellows, scholars, etc., the benefits of the endowment. Formerly "foundation" also meant the charter or incorporation of any such institution or society, and it is still applied to the funds used for their endowment. (See PHILANTHROPY: Philan thropic Endowments.) The terms "old foundation" and "new foundation" used of English cathedral chapters have no reference to the age of the cathedrals (see CATHEDRAL.) "Foundation" also means the base (natural or artificial) on which any erection is built, generally made below the level of the ground (see FOUNDATIONS). A foundation-stone is one of the stones at the base of a building, generally a corner-stone, fre quently laid with a public ceremony. In gem-cutting the "founda tion-square" is the first of eight squares round the edges of a brilliant made in bevel planes and from which the angles are all removed to form three-corner facets.