Word for the day: stone

stone |stəʊn|                                                                 *piedra (en Español)

 
DEFINITION

noun [ mass noun ] 

1hard solid non-metallic mineral matter of which rock is made, especially as a building material.
• used in similes and metaphors to refer to weight or lack of feeling, expression, or movement: Isabel stood as if turned to stone | the elevator dropped like a stone .
• [ count noun ] a small piece of rock found on the ground.
• [ count noun ] Astronomy a meteorite made of rock, as opposed to metal.
• [ count noun ] Medicine a calculus; a gallstone or kidney stone.
2 a piece of stone shaped for a purpose, especially one of commemoration, ceremony, or demarcation: a memorial stone | boundary stones.
• a gem or jewel.
• short for curling stone.
• a round piece or counter, originally made of stone, used in various board games, especially the Japanese game of go.
• a large flat table or sheet, originally made of stone and now usually of metal, on which pages of type are made up.3 a hard seed in a cherry, plum, peach, and some other fruits.4 ( pl. same ) Brit.a unit of weight equal to 14 lb (6.35 kg): I weighed 10 stone.5 [ mass noun ] a natural shade of whitish or brownish-grey: [ as modifier ] : stone stretch trousers.

verb [ with obj. ]
1 throw stones at: policemen were stoned by the crowd | two people were stoned to death.2 remove the stone from (a fruit): (as adj.stoned) : add 50 g of stoned black olives.3 build, face, or pave with stone.
PHRASESbe written (or engraved or set ) in stone used to emphasize that something is fixed and unchangeable:anything can change—nothing is written in stone.cast (or throw ) the first stone be the first to make an accusation (used to emphasize that a potential critic is not wholly blameless).[with biblical allusion to John 8:7.]leave no stone unturned try every possible course of action in order to achieve something.stone me! (or stone the crows! )Brit. informal an exclamation of surprise or shock.a stone's throw a short distance: the Sea Life Centre is just a stone's throw from the sea itself.

DERIVATIVES

stoneless adjective


ORIGIN 

Old English stān (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch steen and German Stein. The verb dates from Middle English (first recorded in sense 1 of the verb) .

Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.