I. si-ˈment also ˈsē-ment noun
Etymology: Middle English sement, from Anglo-French ciment, from Latin caementum stone chips used in making mortar, from caedere to cut
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : concrete
b. : a powder of alumina, silica, lime, iron oxide, and magnesium oxide burned together in a kiln and finely pulverized and used as an ingredient of mortar and concrete ; also : any mixture used for a similar purpose
2. : a binding element or agency: as
a. : a substance to make objects adhere to each other
b. : something serving to unite firmly
justice is the cement that holds a political community together — R. M. Hutchins
3. : cementum
4. : a plastic composition made especially of zinc or silica for filling dental cavities
5. : the fine-grained groundmass or glass of a porphyry
II. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. : to unite or make firm by or as if by cement
2. : to overlay with concrete
intransitive verb
: to become cemented
• ce·ment·er noun