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

There was a good deal of sandstone, breccia or puddingstone, but near us on all sides the limestone formation was seen.
Letters from Palestine
J. D. Paxton
The heights to the westward were all composed of basalt, whilst those to the eastward were sandstone.
Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North-West And Western Australia, Vol. 1 (of 2)
George Grey
In the beds of sandstone, fossils of marine animals are found.
The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin
Rollin D. Salisbury
In one of the many ravines examined, sandstone strata were discovered, in one of which there was a narrow seam of fossil plants.
The Romance of Polar Exploration
G. Firth Scott
In the sandstone formation atop the butte is a cave formed by wind and water erosion.
North Dakota
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.