cobblestone
/ˈkɑbl̩ˌstoʊn/
cobblestone means A rounded stone from a river bed, fit for use as ballast in ships and for paving roads. It carries an Arena rating of 1495, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cobblestone ranks #321 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,043 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,088 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,565 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
cobblestone is pronounced /ˈkɑbl̩ˌstoʊn/.
Why “cobblestone” is a great word
A naturally rounded stone, typically from a riverbed, used historically for paving roads and as ship ballast. From Middle English *cobylstone*, *kobilstane*, equivalent to *cobble* (a lump or rounded mass) + *stone*, with a kinship to Old Norse *köppusteinn* ("boulder"), first recorded in English between 1400 and 1450. Unlike a "sett," which is a quarried, rectangular granite block cut specifically for paving, or a "flagstone," a flat slab for walks and floors, the cobblestone is defined by its natural, irregular roundness. It is the cool, water-worn sphere underfoot that turns an ankle, the dull thunder of cart wheels at dawn, and the mute ballast weighting the hold of an outbound vessel—each stone a small archive of motion and weight, bearing the memory of rivers long gone.
Etymology
From Middle English cobylstone, cobyllstone, kobilstane, kobill-stane, equivalent to cobble + stone. Compare Old Norse köppusteinn (“boulder”), Danish kampesten (“boulder”).
noun
- A rounded stone from a river bed, fit for use as ballast in ships and for paving roads.e.g.“In restless dreams I walked alone / Narrow streets of cobblestone” — 1964, “The Sound of Silence”, in Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., performed by Simon & Garfunkel:
- Cobblestones viewed as a building or paving material.e.g.“The road was paved in cobblestone.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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