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.

Common collocations

• natural stone Adjective + noun
• precious stone Adjective + noun
• stone floor Adjective + noun
• skip stones Verb + noun
• carve stone Verb + noun

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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