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stone definition

stone (stōn)

noun

  1. the hard, solid, nonmetallic mineral matter of which rock is composed
  2. a piece of rock of relatively small size
  3. a piece of rock shaped or finished for some purpose; specif.,
    1. a large, solid piece used in building; also, such pieces collectively
    2. a paving block
    3. a gravestone or memorial
    4. a boundary mark or milestone
    5. a grindstone or whetstone
  4. something that resembles a small stone; specif.,
    1. a hailstone
    2. the stonelike seed of certain fruits, as of a date
    3. the hard endocarp and the enclosed seed of a drupe, as of a peach
    4. Archaic a testicle
  5. precious stone
  6. pl. stoneBrit. a unit of weight, equal to 14 pounds (6.3503 kilograms): abbrev. st
  7. Med. an abnormal stony mass formed in the body, esp. in a kidney or gallbladder
    1. Printing a table with a smooth top, originally of stone, on which page forms are composed
    2. a surface incised or engraved with a design or text to be lithographed

Etymology: ME < OE stan, akin to Du steen, Ger stein < IE base *stāi-, to become thick, compress, stiffen > L stiria, a drop (< stilla), Gr stear, tallow

transitive verb stoned, stoning ston′·ing

  1. to throw stones at; esp., to kill by pelting with stones
  2. to furnish, pave, line, etc. with stones
  3. to polish, sharpen, etc. with a stone
  4. to remove the stone from (a peach, cherry, etc.)

adjective

  1. of stone or stoneware
  2. Etymology: cf. stone-

    Slang complete, utter, thoroughgoing, etc. a stone genius

adverb

completely, thoroughly, etc. stone sober

Related Forms:

stone Idioms

leave no stone unturned

to do everything possible
Stone definition

Stone (stōn)

  1. Stone, Edward Durell (də rel) 1902-78; U.S. architect
  2. Stone, Harlan Fiske 1872-1946; U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. (1941-46)
  3. Stone, Lucy (Mrs. Henry Brown Blackwell) 1818-93; U.S. reformer & suffragist

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
stone Synonyms

stone

modif.

rock, stony, rocky, flinty, adamantine, hard, rough, cragged, craggy, petrified, petrous, calciferous, calcific, lithic, calcified, become stone, petrographic, petrographical, crystallographic, lithographic, lithological, marble, granite.


stone

n.

cast the first stone
leave no stone unturned

take great pains, do everything possible, persist, try hard; see continue 1, pursue 1, work 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

stone Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • weigh: Enter your answer Thomas Ball Question 24: What weighed 464 stones in 1823?

Adjective modifier

  • semi-precious: Veins of semi-precious stones and metals were created including copper, lead, silver and iron.

Noun used with modifier

  • paving: The paving stones are designed to show where the Market Hall would have originally stood.
  • kidney: A kidney stone is a possible cause of this.
stone usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

stone quotes

This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis, who, with a fine disregard for therules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game.1823.

-Anonymous

It islike relying on the Flintstones foranunderstanding of the Stone Age.

-Armey, Dick (Richard Keith)

   With aching hands and bleeding feet We dig and heap, lay stone on stone; We bear the burden and the heat Of the long day, and wish 'twere done. Not till the hours of light return, All we have built do we discern.

-Arnold, Matthew

stone quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"stone." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 3 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/stone>

APA Style

stone. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 3rd, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/stone

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