cement: Meaning and Definition of

ce•ment

Pronunciation: (si-ment'), [key]
— n.
  1. 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.
  2. any of various soft, sticky substances that dry hard or stonelike, used esp. for mending broken objects or for making things adhere.
  3. the compact groundmass surrounding and binding together the fragments of clastic rocks.
  4. anything that binds or unites: Time is the cement of friendship.
    1. a hardening, adhesive, plastic substance, used in the repair of teeth for anchoring fillings or inlays, for filling, or for fastening crowns.
    2. Informal.cementum.
—v.t.
  1. to unite by or as if by cement: to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.
  2. to coat or cover with cement: to cement a floor.
—v.i.
  1. to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: