cement

[ si-ment ]

/ sɪˈmɛnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various calcined mixtures of clay and limestone, usually mixed with water and sand, gravel, etc., to form concrete, that are used as a building material.

any of various soft, sticky substances that dry hard or stonelike, used especially for mending broken objects or for making things adhere.

Petrography. the compact groundmass surrounding and binding together the fragments of clastic rocks.

anything that binds or unites: Time is the cement of friendship.

Dentistry.

a hardening, adhesive, plastic substance, used in the repair of teeth for anchoring fillings or inlays, for filling, or for fastening crowns.
Informal.cementum.

verb (used with object)

to unite by or as if by cement: to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.

to coat or cover with cement: to cement a floor.

verb (used without object)

to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.

Nearby words

Origin of cement

1250–1300; < Latin cēmentum, variant of caementum (singular of caementa unprocessed cuttings from the quarry, i.e., rough stone and chips) < *caed-mentom, equivalent to caed(ere) to cut + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English cyment < Old French ciment < Latin, as above

SYNONYMS FOR cement

6. merge, join, bind, fuse, secure.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cement ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ce·ment·a·ble, adjectivece·ment·er, nounce·ment·less, adjectivere·ce·ment, verb

well-ce·ment·ed, adjective

Can be confusedcement concrete mortar²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cement

He was pinned to the cement for his refusal to go along with an arrest for selling loose cigarettes.
The Wildly Peaceful, Human, Almost Boring, Ultimately Great New York City Protests for Eric Garner|Mike Barnicle|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Holding the architectural smorgasbord of a castle together was cement, wire, and mortar.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand|Nina Strochlic|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And to check out this 100-year-old steel and cement engineering marvel.
A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Panama Turns 100|Bill Schulz|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Death waits for these things as a cement floor waits for a dropping light bulb.
American Dreams: Saul Bellow’s Masterpiece of Lamentation|Nathaniel Rich|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And what Navfac calls “standard airfield concrete” is military-grade, made with aggregate and Portland cement.
Why Can’t America’s Newest Stealth Jet Land Like It’s Supposed To?|Bill Sweetman|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One barrel of cement would joint about 300 sections of pipe.
Concrete Construction|Halbert P. Gillette
Their cement for coating walls is like ours; the stucco flat coloured, and the colours mixed with the plaster before laying on.
A Manual of the Historical Development of Art|G. G. (Gustavus George) Zerffi
He now embarks on several courses of action, each of which is designed to cement their relations.
The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry|W. G. Archer
The detective visited the spot and turned over the pile of cement, which revealed nothing.
The Red Redmaynes|Eden Phillpotts
Once she heard the closing of a door, and the sound of footsteps echoing faintly upon the cement floor of the lower corridor.
The Ivory Snuff Box|Arnold Fredericks

British Dictionary definitions for cement

cement

/ (sɪˈmɛnt) /

noun

a fine grey powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay, used with water and sand to make mortar, or with water, sand, and aggregate, to make concrete

a binder, glue, or adhesive

something that unites or joins; bond

dentistry any of various materials used in filling teeth

mineral matter, such as silica and calcite, that binds together particles of rock, bones, etc, to form a solid mass of sedimentary rock

another word for cementum

verb (tr)

to reinforce or consolidateonce a friendship is cemented it will last for life

to join, bind, or glue together with or as if with cement

to coat or cover with cement

Derived Formscementer, noun

Word Origin for cement

C13: from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum stone from the quarry, from caedere to hew

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cement

cement

c.1300, from Old French ciment "cement, mortar, pitch," from Latin cæmenta "stone chips used for making mortar" (singular caementum), from caedere "to cut down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay" (see -cide). The sense evolution from "small broken stones" to "powdered stones used in construction" took place before the word reached English.

cement

c.1400, from cement (n.) or Old French cimenter. Figurative use from c.1600. Related: Cemented; cementing.

Medicine definitions for cement

cement

[ sĭ-mĕnt′ ]

n.

A substance used for filling dental cavities or anchoring crowns, inlays, or other restorations.

cementum

A substance that hardens to act as an adhesive; glue.

cement

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of cement

Examples from the Web for cement

cement

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for cement

cement

cement

cement

n.