cement

 
Pronunciation: /sɪˈmɛnt/

noun

[mass noun]
  • a powdery substance made by calcining lime and clay, mixed with water to form mortar or mixed with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete.
  • concrete.
  • a soft glue that hardens on setting: tile cement
  • figurative a factor or element that unites a group of people: trust is the cement that holds organizations together
  • a substance for filling cavities in teeth: dental cement
  • (also cementum) Anatomy a thin layer of bony material that fixes teeth to the jaw.
  • Geology the material which binds particles together in sedimentary rock.

verb

[with object]
  • fix with cement: wooden posts were cemented into the ground
  • settle or establish firmly: the two firms are expected to cement an agreement soon
  • Geology (of a material) bind (particles) together in sedimentary rock: the original quartz grains were cemented by authigenic quartz

Derivatives

cementer

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French ciment (noun), cimenter (verb), from Latin caementum 'quarry stone', from caedere 'hew'