Cement

any of various calcined mixtures of clay and limestone, usually mixed with water and sand, gravel, etc., to form concrete, that are used as a building material.
any of various soft, sticky substances that dry hard or stonelike, used especially for mending broken objects or for making things adhere.
Petrography. the compact groundmass surrounding and binding together the fragments of clastic rocks.
anything that binds or unites:
Time is the cement of friendship.
Dentistry.

a hardening, adhesive, plastic substance, used in the repair of teeth for anchoring fillings or inlays, for filling, or for fastening crowns.
Informal. cementum.

to unite by or as if by cement:
to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.
to coat or cover with cement:
to cement a floor.
to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.
Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

noun
a fine grey powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay, used with water and sand to make mortar, or with water, sand, and aggregate, to make concrete
a binder, glue, or adhesive
something that unites or joins; bond
(dentistry) any of various materials used in filling teeth
mineral matter, such as silica and calcite, that binds together particles of rock, bones, etc, to form a solid mass of sedimentary rock
another word for cementum
verb (transitive)
to reinforce or consolidate: once a friendship is cemented it will last for life
to join, bind, or glue together with or as if with cement
to coat or cover with cement
n.

c.1300, from Old French ciment “cement, mortar, pitch,” from Latin cæmenta “stone chips used for making mortar” (singular caementum), from caedere “to cut down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay” (see -cide). The sense evolution from “small broken stones” to “powdered stones used in construction” took place before the word reached English.
v.

c.1400, from cement (n.) or Old French cimenter. Figurative use from c.1600. Related: Cemented; cementing.

cement ce·ment (sĭ-měnt’)
n.

A substance used for filling dental cavities or anchoring crowns, inlays, or other restorations.

See cementum.

A substance that hardens to act as an adhesive; glue.

Related Terms

in cement