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definitions

cement

[si-ment]
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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.
  2. to coat or cover with cement: to cement a floor.
verb (used without object)
  1. to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.

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
Related formsce·ment·a·ble, adjectivece·ment·er, nounce·ment·less, adjectivere·ce·ment, verbwell-ce·ment·ed, adjective
Can be confusedcement concrete mortar2

Synonyms for cement

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6. merge, join, bind, fuse, secure.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for cement

adhesive, plaster, mud, sand, seal, size, gum, concrete, binder, bond, solder, glue, paste, mucilage, gunk, tar, birdlime, sealant, mortar, lime

Examples from the Web for cement

Contemporary Examples of cement

Historical Examples of cement

British Dictionary definitions for cement

cement

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 (tr)
  1. to reinforce or consolidateonce 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
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
n.

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.

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
cement in Medicine

cement

[sĭ-mĕnt′]
n.
  1. A substance used for filling dental cavities or anchoring crowns, inlays, or other restorations.
  2. cementum
  3. A substance that hardens to act as an adhesive; glue.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.