sandstone

[sand-stohn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sandstone ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a common sedimentary rock consisting of sand, usually quartz, cemented together by various substances, as silica, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, or clay.

RELATED WORDS

conglomerate, shale, chalk, limestone

Origin of sandstone

First recorded in 1660–70; sand + stone

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

Examples from the Web for sandstone

Contemporary Examples of sandstone

Her father built a successful business and the family lives in an $800,000 sandstone house in a posh Glasgow suburb.
The Bride of ISIS Revealed
Jamie Dettmer
September 3, 2014

Historical Examples of sandstone

No polishing of sandstone will reveal the mottling of marble.
A Dish Of Orts
George MacDonald
The rocks of the Jason may be seen in any quarry of Warwickshire sandstone.
Modern Painters Volume I (of V)
John Ruskin
Quartz, sandstone and the granites are of low cementing value.
American Rural Highways
T. R. Agg
If the layers were of sand, the rock is sandstone; if of clay, it is shale.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America
It is found associated with sandstone, which contains many fossils.
Little Masterpieces of Science: Explorers
Various

British Dictionary definitions for sandstone

sandstone

noun

any of a group of common sedimentary rocks consisting of sand grains consolidated with such materials as quartz, haematite, and clay minerals: used widely in building

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 sandstone

1660s, from sand (n.) + stone (n.). So called from its composition.

Science definitions for sandstone

sandstone

[sănd′stōn′]

A medium-grained sedimentary rock consisting of fine to coarse sand-sized grains that have been either compacted or cemented together by a material such as silica, iron oxide, or calcium carbonate. Although sandstone usually consists primarily of quartz, it can also consist of other minerals, and it can vary in color from yellow or red to gray or brown.

Culture definitions for sandstone

sandstone

A sedimentary rock formed of sand-sized grains that have been either compacted or cemented together. Although sandstone usually consists primarily of quartz, it can also consist of other minerals.