stone
stone Lexical Profile
stone Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Hard, solid, non-metallic mineral matter of which rock is composed, especially when used as a building material.
"The sculptor carefully chiseled the statue out of solid stone."
A small, unattached piece of rock found on the ground.
"She skipped a flat stone across the surface of the calm lake."
British A unit of weight in the British imperial system equal to 14 pounds (approximately 6.35 kilograms), commonly used for measuring human body weight.
"After adopting a healthier diet, he lost nearly a stone in weight."
• adjective
Constructed of, consisting of, or relating to rock or mineral matter.
"The travelers rested against the ancient stone wall surrounding the courtyard."
• adverb
Completely or absolutely (used as an intensifier before specific adjectives like cold, dead, or blind).
"By the time he finally sat down to eat, his dinner was stone cold."
• verb
To remove the hard pit or seed from a fruit before consumption or cooking.
"You will need to stone the cherries before adding them to the pie filling."
To throw stones at a person or animal, often as a form of attack or a severe historical method of execution.
"Historically, crowds would gather to stone those accused of grave societal offenses."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used to refer to the British unit of body weight (14 pounds), the plural form remains uninflected as 'stone' (e.g., 'weighs eleven stone').
• Rhymes for stone
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'stān', originating from the Proto-Germanic 'stainaz' and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root '*steh₂-i-' meaning to thicken or stiffen.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.