■ noun
1》 a powdery substance made by calcining lime and clay, used in making mortar and concrete.
↘concrete.
2》 a soft glue that hardens on setting.
3》 (also ~um ) Anatomy a thin layer of bony material that fixes teeth to the jaw.
4》 Geology the material which binds particles together in sedimentary rock.
■ verb fix with ~.
↘settle or establish firmly.
Derivatives
~er noun
~itious adjective
Origin
ME: from OFr. ciment (n.), cimenter (v.), from L. caementum 'quarry stone', from caedere 'hew'.