stonework

[stohn-wurk]

noun

1. any construction, as walls or the like, of stone; stone masonry.

2. the techniques, processes, work, or art of dressing, setting, or designing in stone.

3. (usually used with a singular verb),  Usually stoneworks. a place where stone is dressed, as for building.

stonework

/ ˈstəʊnˌwɜːk /

noun

1. any structure or part of a building made of stone

2. the process of dressing or setting stones

Other Word Forms

• stoneworker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stonework¹

before 1000; Middle English stoonwerk, Old English stānweorc. See stone, work

Example Sentences

“Three days ago, while admiring the stonework, I happened to notice a huge gash in the limestone that extended more than 25 yards long. It was deep and nasty!” he wrote.

Read more on Salon

So Underwood redesigned the structure, creating a more rustic lodge out of the original stonework, perched on the very edge of the canyon.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Climate change added to the challenge, he said, as increased heavy rainfall damaged the stonework, including in hard-to-reach areas.

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Shopkeepers on Scotland's most photographed street say it has been "wrecked" after vandals covered stonework and shop fronts in graffiti.

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Building a new structure during the Great Depression took years and perseverance, repurposing much of the original building's stonework and lumber.

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Related Words

• gem 
• gravel 
• metal 
• mineral 
• pebble 
• rock