stone

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The hard substance that rock is made of, often used as a building material.

   The old castle was built of grey stone.

2. 2
   noun

   A small piece of rock.

   He skipped flat stones across the surface of the lake.

3. 3
   noun

   The hard seed in the centre of some fruits such as peaches, plums, and cherries.

   Remove the stones from the cherries before baking.

4. 4
   noun

   A unit of weight equal to 14 pounds (about 6.35 kg), used in Britain for body weight.

   I weigh eight stone five.

5. 5
   verb

   To throw stones at someone, especially as a punishment.

   In ancient times, criminals were sometimes stoned to death.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Stone is inherited from Old English and is recorded in writings from the time of Alfred the Great. Its use as a unit of weight dates from the 14th century and arose from the practice of using particular stones as local weights; the value varied before becoming standardized at 14 pounds.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stoyh₂nos Proto-Germanic *stainaz Proto-West Germanic *stain Old English stān Middle English ston English stone From Middle English ston, stone, stan, from Old English stān, from Proto-West Germanic *stain, from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (“stone”), from Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- (“to stiffen”). Cognates Cognate with Scots stane (“stone”), Yola sthoan (“stone”), North Frisian stean, stian, stiin, stiinj (“stone”), Saterland Frisian Steen (“stone”), West Frisian stien (“stone”), Alemannic German Steei (…

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