concrete

B2 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ UK /ˈkɒnkɹiːt/ See IPA manual

Freq #5125

Meanings

1

noun
a hard building material made by mixing cement, sand, and water

The path was made of solid concrete.
2

adj
definite and specific rather than general or vague

She made a concrete proposal to solve the problem.
3

adj
existing as a real, physical thing rather than an idea

There is no concrete evidence that he was there.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · definite and specific... definite specific

3 adj · existing as a real,... actual real tangible

Word family

Forms concretedconcretelyconcretenessconcretesconcreting

Related forms cement mortaruhpc

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

lightweight concrete
concrete made less dense by adding air spaces or lightweight materials

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Concrete comes from Latin concrescere, meaning “grow together.” English used the word in other senses from late Middle English, but its use for the building material dates only from the mid-19th century.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin concrētus, past participle of concrescō (to curdle) from con- (with, together) + crescō (to grow, rise).

Topics

Materials & Substances Architecture & Buildings

External links

# concrete

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɒnkɹiːt/
**Frequency rank:** 5125

## Meanings
1. a hard building material made by mixing cement, sand, and water
2. definite and specific rather than general or vague
3. existing as a real, physical thing rather than an idea

## Examples
- The path was made of solid concrete.
- She made a concrete proposal to solve the problem.
- There is no concrete evidence that he was there.

## Related Forms
- cement
- mortar
- uhpc

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin concrētus, past participle of concrescō (to curdle) from con- (with, together) + crescō (to grow, rise).

## AI Etymology
concrete is a verb, adjective, and noun. It was borrowed from Latin concrētus, past participle of concrescō (to curdle) from con- (with, together) + crescō (to grow, rise). Current senses include a hard building material made by mixing cement, sand, and water, definite and specific rather than general or vague, and existing as a real, physical thing rather than an idea. Related words include cement, mortar, and uhpc.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances
- Architecture & Buildings

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