stone

¹

[ stohn ]

noun

, plural stones stone

1. the hard substance, formed of mineral matter, of which rocks consist.
2. a rock or particular piece or kind of rock, as a boulder or piece of agate.
3. a piece of rock quarried and worked into a specific size and shape for a particular purpose: building stone.

   paving stone;

   building stone.

4. a small piece of rock, as a pebble.
5. precious stone.
6. Chiefly British. one of various units of weight, especially the British unit equivalent to 14 pounds (6.4 kilograms).
7. something resembling a small piece of rock in size, shape, or hardness.
8. any small, hard seed, as of a date; pit.
9. Botany. the hard endocarp of a drupe, as of a peach.
10. Pathology. a calculous concretion in the body, as in the kidney, gallbladder, or urinary bladder.
11. a gravestone or tombstone.
12. grindstone:

    Don’t even think about using that stone until you’ve got your safety glasses on.

13. millstone:

    The gristmill’s original pair of stones were made from volcanic lava deposits in southern Italy.

14. hailstone:

    With many verified reports of stones as large as 6 inches in diameter, we can tell you this was no ordinary hailstorm.

15. curling stone:

    Friction between the stone and the surface of the ice is controlled by many parameters, including velocity.

16. Building Trades. any of various artificial materials imitating cut stone or rubble.
17. Printing. a table with a smooth surface, formerly made of stone, on which page forms are composed.
18. (in lithography) any surface on which an artist draws or etches a picture or design from which a lithograph is made.
19. a playing piece in the game of dominoes, checkers, or backgammon.
20. Slang: Vulgar. Usually stones. testes.

adjective

1. made of or pertaining to stone.
2. made of stoneware:

   a stone mug or bottle.

3. stonelike; stony; obdurate: stone strength.

   a stone killer;

   stone strength.

adverb

1. completely; totally (usually used in combination):

   stone cold.

verb (used with object)

, stoned, ston·ing.

1. to throw stones at; drive by pelting with stones.
2. to put to death by pelting with stones.
3. to provide, fit, pave, line, face or fortify with stones.
4. to rub (something) with or on a stone, as to sharpen, polish, or smooth.
5. to remove stones from, as fruit.
6. Obsolete. to make insensitive or unfeeling.

Stone

²

[ stohn ]

noun

1. Edward Du·rell [d, oo, -, rel, dy, oo, -], 1902–78, U.S. architect.
2. Har·lan Fiske [hahr, -l, uh, n], 1872–1946, U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. 1941–46.
3. Irving, 1903–1989, U.S. author.
4. I(sidor) F(ein·stein) [fahyn, -stahyn], Izzy, 1907–1989, U.S. political journalist.
5. Lucy, 1818–93, U.S. suffragist (wife of Henry Brown Blackwell).

Stone

¹

/ stəʊn /

noun

1. StoneOliver1946MUSFILMS AND TV: directorFILMS AND TV: writer Oliver. born 1946, US film director and screenwriter: his films include Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991), Nixon (1995), Alexander (2004), and World Trade Center (2006)
2. StoneSharon1958FUSFILMS AND TV: actress Sharon. born 1958, US film actress: her films include Basic Instinct (1991), Casino (1995), and Cold Creek Manor (2003)

stone

²

/ stəʊn /

noun

1. the hard compact nonmetallic material of which rocks are made lithic
2. a small lump of rock; pebble
3. jewellery short for gemstone
4. 1. a piece of rock designed or shaped for some particular purpose
   2. ( in combination )

      gravestone

      millstone

5. 1. something that resembles a stone
   2. ( in combination )

      hailstone

6. the woody central part of such fruits as the peach and plum, that contains the seed; endocarp
7. any similar hard part of a fruit, such as the stony seed of a date
8. stone a unit of weight, used esp to express human body weight, equal to 14 pounds or 6.350 kilograms
9. Also calledgranite the rounded heavy mass of granite or iron used in the game of curling
10. pathol a nontechnical name for calculus
11. printing a table with a very flat iron or stone surface upon which hot-metal pages are composed into formes; imposition table
12. rare.
    (in certain games) a piece or man
13. 1. any of various dull grey colours
    2. ( as adjective )

       stone paint

14. modifier relating to or made of stone

    a stone house

15. modifier made of stoneware

    a stone jar

16. cast a stone at
    cast aspersions upon
17. heart of stone
    an obdurate or unemotional nature
18. leave no stone unturned
    to do everything possible to achieve an end

adverb

1. in combination completely

   stone-cold

   stone-dead

verb

1. to throw stones at, esp to kill
2. to remove the stones from
3. to furnish or provide with stones
4. stone the crows slang.
   an expression of surprise, dismay, etc

stone-

³

prefix

1. very; completely

   stone-blind

   stone-cold

Derived Forms

• ˈstonelessness, noun
• ˈstoneˌlike, adjective
• ˈstonable, adjective
• ˈstoneless, adjective

Other Words From

• ston·a·ble stone·a·ble adjective
• stone·less adjective
• stone·less·ness noun
• stone·like adjective
• un·ston·a·ble un·stone·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stone¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun stan, sto(o)n, Old English stān; cognate with Dutch steen, German Stein, Old Norse steinn, Gothic stains; akin to Greek stī́a “pebble,” Latin stīria “icicle”; the verb, adjective, and adverb are derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stone¹

Old English stān; related to Old Saxon stēn, German Stein, Old Norse steinn, Gothic stains, Greek stion pebble

Origin of stone²

from stone in the sense of "like a stone"

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cast the first stone, to be the first to condemn or blame a wrongdoer; be hasty in one's judgment:

   What right has she to cast the first stone?

2. leave no stone unturned, to exhaust every possibility in attempting to achieve one's goal; spare no effort:

   We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find the culprit.

3. set in stone, to put (something) in final form; finalize so as to prevent change or reversal: Also set / cast in concrete.

   These schematics for the library renovation are only proposals—nothing yet is set in stone.

More idioms and phrases containing stone

• cast in stone
• cast the first stone
• flat (stone) broke
• heart of stone
• leave no stone unturned
• rolling stone gathers no moss
• run into a stone wall

Example Sentences

"Tom Hayhoe brings a wealth of experience and will leave no stone unturned as a commissioner with free rein to investigate the unacceptable carnival of waste and fraud during the pandemic."

From BBC

Government supporters argue police have come under intolerable attack from stones and fireworks.

From BBC

He said the work would include putting block stones either side of the culvert to shore up the side of the ground, as well as fitting steel plates to stabilise it.

From BBC

Nearly four decades after Albany’s municipal landfill closed, it has evolved into an outdoor art gallery filled with sculptures made from reclaimed wood, stone and metal.

From Los Angeles Times

Local media said police used tear gas after supporters of the visiting team, Labé, threw stones towards the pitch in anger at the referee.

From BBC

Related Words

• gem
• gravel
• metal
• mineral
• pebble
• rock