pave

¹

[ peyv ]

verb (used with object)

, paved, pav·ing.

1. to cover or lay (a road, walk, etc.) with concrete, stones, bricks, tiles, wood, or the like, so as to make a firm, level surface.

noun

1. Southern Louisiana. a paved road.

pavé

²

[ puh-vey, pav-ey; French pa-vey ]

noun

, plural pa·vés [p, uh, -, veyz, pav, -eyz, p, a, -, vey].

1. a pavement.
2. Jewelry. a setting of stones placed close together so as to show no metal between them.

adverb

1. Jewelry. in the manner of a pavé; as a pavé:

   diamonds set pavé.

adjective

1. Also pa·véd, pa·véed. being set pavé:

   pavé rubies.

pave

¹

/ peɪv /

verb

1. to cover (a road, path, etc) with a firm surface suitable for travel, as with paving stones or concrete
2. to serve as the material for a pavement or other hard layer

   bricks paved the causeway

3. often foll by with to cover with a hard layer (of)

   shelves paved with marble

4. to prepare or make easier (esp in the phrase pave the way )

   to pave the way for future development

pavé

²

/ ˈpæveɪ /

noun

1. a paved surface, esp an uneven one
2. a style of setting gems so closely that no metal shows

Derived Forms

• ˈpaver, noun

Other Words From

• un·paved adjective
• well-paved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pave¹

1275–1325; Middle English paven < Middle French paver < Vulgar Latin *pavare, for Latin pavīre to beat, ram, tread down

Origin of pave²

1755–65; < French, past participle of paver. See pave

Word History and Origins

Origin of pave¹

C14: from Old French paver, from Latin pavīre to ram down

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. pave the way to / for, to prepare for and facilitate the entrance of; lead up to:

   His analysis of the college market paved the way for their entry into textbook publishing.

Example Sentences

And if Trump is to be believed, Musk and Ramaswamy will merely “pave the way” for Trump’s administration to implement the recommendations and “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”

From Slate

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement, which quoted Musk as saying “This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”

From Salon

Conille, a former United Nations official, was brought in to lead Haiti through an ongoing, gang-led security crisis and had been expected to help pave the way for the country's first presidential elections since 2016.

From BBC

And, most revealingly, the chief justice powered the court toward huge victories for the former president in a trio of cases that helped pave the way for his comeback.

From Slate

Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav demurred when asked this summer whom he supported for president, saying he preferred someone who would pave the way for more consolidation.

From Los Angeles Times