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Portland cement

American  
Or portland cement

noun

  1. a type of hydraulic cement usually made by burning a mixture of limestone and clay in a kiln.


Portland cement British  

noun

  1. a cement that hardens under water and is made by heating a slurry of clay and crushed chalk or limestone to clinker in a kiln

"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

Etymology

Origin of Portland cement

First recorded in 1815–25; named after the Isle of Portland, Dorsetshire, England

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The firm prints homes on site using Portland cement, which is resilient, moldable and familiar to permitting officials.

From Los Angeles Times May 9, 2025

Cement stucco is just a mixture of fine sand, Portland cement, a dash of hydrated lime and clear water.

From Seattle Times Mar. 25, 2024

This dewatered solution was blended with ordinary Portland cement as the solidifier.

From Science Daily Nov. 1, 2023

How it works: Roller mills or ball mills grind the clinker and gypsum into a fine gray powder known as Portland cement.

From Scientific American Feb. 9, 2023

Once complete, this grillage of steel would be filled and covered with Portland cement to produce a broad, rigid raft that Root called a floating foundation.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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