English Explanatory Dictionary

pebble

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A small stone, especially one rounded by the action of water.
  2. A particle from 4 to 64 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
  3. A small droplet of water intentionally sprayed on the ice that cause irregularities on the surface.
  4. Transparent and colourless rock crystal.
  5. A form of slow-burning gunpowder in large cubical grains.
  6. A small piece of crack cocaine.
verb
  1. To pave with pebbles.
  2. To deposit water droplets on the ice.
  3. To give (leather) a rough appearance with small rounded prominences.
  4. To place a pebble at (a vertex of a graph) according to certain rules, in a pebble game.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɛb.əl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pebble.wav

Word forms

pebble pebbles pebbling pebbled

Etymology

From Middle English pibel (also in pibleston), from Old English papolstān (“pebble-stone”), from Old English *papol, *pyppel, *pæbbel of unknown origin + Old English stān. Compare Albanian popël.

Synonyms

cube powder prismatic powder peb

Derived words

pebble-bed reactor pebble dash pebble-dash pebble in one's shoe pebble lens pebbleless pebblelike pebble mill pebble plant pebbler pebblesnail pebblestone pebble toad pebbleware pebbly snatch the pebble
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