gravel
[ grav-uh l ]
/ ˈgræv əl /
noun
small stones and pebbles, or a mixture of these with sand.
Pathology.
- multiple small calculi formed in the kidneys.
- the disease characterized by such concretions.
verb (used with object), grav·eled, grav·el·ing or (especially British) grav·elled, grav·el·ling.
adjective
harsh and grating: a gravel voice.
Nearby words
- grave,
- grave clothes,
- grave-wax,
- graveclothes,
- gravedigger,
- gravel-blind,
- gravel-voiced,
- graveldiver,
- graveled,
- gravelly
Origin of gravel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for gravel
gravel
/ (ˈɡrævəl) /
noun
an unconsolidated mixture of rock fragments that is coarser than sand
geology a mixture of rock fragments with diameters in the range 4–76 mm
pathol small rough calculi in the kidneys or bladder
verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled (tr)
to cover with gravel
to confound or confuse
US informal to annoy or disturb
Word Origin for gravel
C13: from Old French gravele, diminutive of grave gravel, perhaps of Celtic origin
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
gravel
early 13c., from Old French gravele "sand, gravel," diminutive of grave "sand, seashore" (Modern French grève), possibly from Celtic *gravo- (cf. Welsh gro "coarse gravel," Breton grouan, Cornish grow "gravel"), perhaps ultimately from PIE *ghreu- "to rub, grind."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gravel
[ grăv′əl ]
n.
Sandlike concretions of uric acid, calcium oxalate, and mineral salts formed in the passages of the biliary and urinary tracts.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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