pebble

American  

[peb-uhl] / ˈpɛb əl /

noun

1. a small, rounded stone, especially one worn smooth by the action of water.

2. Also called pebble leather.  leather that has been given a granulated surface.

3. any granulated or crinkled surface, especially of a textile.

4. a transparent colorless rock crystal used for the lenses of eyeglasses.

5. a lens made from this crystal.

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verb (used with object)

pebbled, pebbling

1. to prepare (leather) so as to have a granulated surface.

2. to pelt with or as with pebbles.

pebble British  

/ ˈpɛbəl /

noun

1. 1. a small smooth rounded stone, esp one worn by the action of water

   2. geology a rock fragment, often rounded, with a diameter of 4–64 mm and thus smaller than a cobble but larger than a granule

2. 1. a transparent colourless variety of rock crystal, used for making certain lenses

   2. such a lens

3. informal (modifier) (of a lens or of spectacles) thick, with a high degree of magnification or distortion

4. 1. a grainy irregular surface, esp on leather

   2. leather having such a surface

5. informal a troublesome or obstinate person or animal

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verb

1. to pave, cover, or pelt with pebbles

2. to impart a grainy surface to (leather)

pebble Scientific  

/ pĕb′əl /

1. A rock fragment larger than a granule and smaller than a cobble. Pebbles have a diameter between 4 and 64 mm (0.16 and 2.56 inches) and are often rounded.

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pebble Idioms  

1. see not the only fish in the sea (pebble on the beach).

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Other Word Forms

• pebbly adjective
• unpebbled adjective

Etymology

Origin of pebble

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pibbil, puble, pobble; compare Old English pæbbel (in placenames), papel-, popel- (in compounds); phonological relations unclear

Example Sentences

The red-shoed girl was crouched on the riverbank, throwing pebbles into the rushing current.

From Literature

Torak became uneasily aware of the noise they were making: the creak of his pack, the rattle of pebbles as Renn struggled ahead.

From Literature

A large piece of graphed paper containing a design for an outdoor space: a fountain in the middle and pebble pathways spoking out from it.

From Literature

I had found only a few pebbles of gold in the last week.

From Literature

Planetesimals were among the first sizable objects to form from the swirling disc of dust and pebbles that surrounded the young Sun.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• earth
• gravel
• lava
• metal
• rubble
• slab