STONE


Meaning of STONE in English

I. ˈstōn noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English stān; akin to Old High German stein stone, Old Church Slavic stěna wall, and perhaps to Sanskrit styāyate it hardens — more at steato-

Date: before 12th century

1. : a concretion of earthy or mineral matter:

a.

(1) : such a concretion of indeterminate size or shape

(2) : rock

b. : a piece of rock for a specified function: as

(1) : a building block

(2) : a paving block

(3) : a precious stone : gem

(4) : gravestone

(5) : grindstone

(6) : whetstone

(7) : a surface upon which a drawing, text, or design to be lithographed is drawn or transferred

2. : something resembling a small stone: as

a. : calculus 3a

b. : the hard central portion of a drupaceous fruit (as a peach)

c. : a hard stony seed (as of a date)

3. plural usually stone : any of various units of weight ; especially : an official British unit equal to 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms)

4.

a. : curling stone

b. : a round playing piece used in various games (as backgammon or go)

5. : a stand or table with a smooth flat top on which to impose or set type

- in stone

II. transitive verb

( stoned ; ston·ing )

Date: 13th century

1. : to hurl stones at ; especially : to kill by pelting with stones

2. archaic : to make hard or insensitive to feeling

3. : to face, pave, or fortify with stones

4. : to remove the stones or seeds of (a fruit)

5.

a. : to rub, scour, or polish with a stone

b. : to sharpen with a whetstone

• ston·er noun

III. adverb

Date: 13th century

: entirely , utterly — used as an intensive; often used in combination

stone -broke

stone -cold soup

stone -dead

IV. adjective

Date: 14th century

1. : of, relating to, or made of stone

2. : absolute , utter

pure stone craziness — Edwin Shrake

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.