Graveling

[grav-uh l] /ˈgræv əl/

noun
1.
small stones and pebbles, or a mixture of these with sand.
2.
Pathology.

verb (used with object), graveled, graveling or (especially British) gravelled, gravelling.
3.
to cover with gravel.
4.
to bring to a standstill from perplexity; puzzle.
5.
Informal. to be a cause of irritation to.
6.
Obsolete. to run (a ship) aground, as on a beach.
adjective
7.
harsh and grating:
a gravel voice.
/ˈɡrævəl/
noun
1.
an unconsolidated mixture of rock fragments that is coarser than sand
2.
(geology) a mixture of rock fragments with diameters in the range 4–76 mm
3.
(pathol) small rough calculi in the kidneys or bladder
verb (transitive) -els, -elling, -elled (US) -els, -eling, -eled
4.
to cover with gravel
5.
to confound or confuse
6.
(US, informal) to annoy or disturb
n.

early 13c., from Old French gravele “sand, gravel,” diminutive of grave “sand, seashore” (Modern French grève), possibly from Celtic *gravo- (cf. Welsh gro “coarse gravel,” Breton grouan, Cornish grow “gravel”), perhaps ultimately from PIE *ghreu- “to rub, grind.”

gravel grav·el (grāv’əl)
n.
Sandlike concretions of uric acid, calcium oxalate, and mineral salts formed in the passages of the biliary and urinary tracts.

Related Terms

hit the dirt