cement

[si-ment]

noun

1. 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.

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

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

4. anything that binds or unites.

   Time is the cement of friendship.

5. Dentistry.

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

   2. Informal.,  cementum.

verb (used with object)

1. to unite by or as if by cement.

   to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.

   Synonyms: secure, fuse, bind, join, merge

2. to coat or cover with cement.

   to cement a floor.

verb (used without object)

1. to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.

cement

/ sɪˈmɛnt /

noun

1. 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

2. a binder, glue, or adhesive

3. something that unites or joins; bond

4. dentistry any of various materials used in filling teeth

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

6. another word for cementum

verb

1. to reinforce or consolidate

   once a friendship is cemented it will last for life

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

3. to coat or cover with cement

Other Word Forms

• cementable adjective
• cementer noun
• cementless adjective
• recement verb
• well-cemented adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cement¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cement¹

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

Example Sentences

Annual inflation accelerated in the eurozone last month, cementing expectations that the European Central Bank will leave its key interest rate unchanged for what is left of this year.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But standing in their way is 71-year-old Sliwa, a Guardian Angel and subway vigilante who cemented his place in city lore after surviving five gunshot wounds in an alleged mob hit in 1992.

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An eloquent public speaker, Weiss has cemented a spot among wealthy executives and prominent personalities.

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It would signal a shift in U.S. policy from a neutral position to one that actively aligns with Beijing against Taiwanese sovereignty—a change that could further cement Xi’s hold on power at home.

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That agreement cemented the Fed’s independence from the rest of the government.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• adhesive 
• mud 
• plaster 
• sand