paving

[pey-ving]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paving ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a pavement.

material for paving.

the laying of a pavement.

Origin of paving

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at pave, -ing¹

pave

[peyv]

verb (used with object), paved, pav·ing.

to cover or lay (a road, walk, etc.) with concrete, stones, bricks, tiles, wood, or the like, so as to make a firm, level surface.

noun

Southern Louisiana. a paved road.

Idioms

pave the way to/for, to prepare for and facilitate the entrance of; lead up to: His analysis of the college market paved the way for their entry into textbook publishing.

Origin of pave

1275–1325; Middle English paven < Middle French paver < Vulgar Latin *pavare, for Latin pavīre to beat, ram, tread down

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

Related Words for paving

surface, tile, brick, gravel, tar, flagstone, cobblestone, macadamize

Examples from the Web for paving

Contemporary Examples of paving

For us, WoodRocket is paving the way for creating a place you can come to—and come at—and stay and be entertained.
Inside the Greatest Porn Parody Factory: From ‘Game of Bones’ to ‘The Humper Games’
Gabriella Paiella
November 28, 2014
In October 2013, the Portuguese police reopened the case in Portugal, paving the way for further investigations by Scotland Yard.
Does a Perv Know Maddie McCann’s Fate?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 16, 2014
When asked how she feels about paving the way for abortion education on the Internet, Steinauer was quick to relay her enthusiasm.
The Internet’s First Abortion Class
Samantha Allen
October 6, 2014
In effect, the paving “stones” would be electricity-generating solar panels.
Pave the Roads With Solar Panels?
The Daily Beast
June 3, 2014
As you walk through the Maidan, you notice parts of the ground that normally would be covered in paving stones are bare.
My Walk Through Kiev's Maidan Square
Miranda Frum
April 6, 2014

Historical Examples of paving

Let Old Eaton have his way, if thereby they might beguile him into paving theirs.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
It seemed as if the sun-rays could never reach that paving, mouldy with damp.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
It is said that the Romans learned from the Carthaginians the art of paving roads.
The Railroad Question
William Larrabee
As far as these trees and these paving stones were concerned, it had worked nothing.
Notes on Life and Letters
Joseph Conrad
Unwillingly, he pulled at the controls and the flier raised from the paving.
The Best Made Plans
Everett B. Cole

British Dictionary definitions for paving

paving

noun

a paved surface; pavement

material used for a pavement, such as paving stones, bricks, or asphalt

adjective

of or for a paved surface or pavement

preparatory, facilitating, enablingpaving legislation

pave

verb (tr)

to cover (a road, path, etc) with a firm surface suitable for travel, as with paving stones or concrete

to serve as the material for a pavement or other hard layerbricks paved the causeway

(often foll by with) to cover with a hard layer (of)shelves paved with marble

to prepare or make easier (esp in the phrase pave the way)to pave the way for future development

Derived Formspaver, noun

Word Origin for pave

C14: from Old French paver, from Latin pavīre to ram down

pavé

noun

a paved surface, esp an uneven one

a style of setting gems so closely that no metal shows

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 paving

pave

early 14c., "to cover (a street) with stones or other material," from Old French paver "to pave" (12c.), perhaps a back-formation from Old French pavement or else from Vulgar Latin *pavare, from Latin pavire "to beat, ram, tread down," from PIE *pau- "to cut, strike, stamp" (cf. Latin putare "to prune;" Greek paiein "to strike;" Lithuanian piauju "to cut," piuklas "saw"). Related: Paved; paving. The figurative sense of "make smooth" (as in pave the way) is attested from 1580s.