Dictionary

gravel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [ˈɡɹævl̩]
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɡɹævəl/
• [ˈɡɹævɯ] l-vocalization
• /ˈɡɹævəɯ/ l-vocalization

Etymology

From Middle English gravel, grauel, from Old French gravele, diminutive of grave (“gravel, seashore”), from Medieval Latin grava, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *grāwā (“gravel, pebbles”) (compare Breton groa, Cornish grow, Welsh gro), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰroh₁weh₂, from *gʰreh₁w- (“to grind”). Compare also Old English græfa (“coal”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) Small fragments of rock, used for laying on the beds of roads and railways, and as ballast.
2. (uncountable, usually) A type or grade of small rocks, differentiated by mineral type, size range, or other characteristics.
3. (uncountable, usually) A particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
4. (archaic, uncountable, usually) Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis
   • The great use of coffee in France is supposed to have abated the prevalency of the gravel, for where coffee is used as a constant beverage, the gravel and the gout are scarcely known. 1848, J. S. Skinner & Son, editor, The Plough, The Loom and the Anvil, volume I, Philadelphia: J. S. Skinner & Son, page 137:
5. (uncountable, usually) A lameness in the foot of a horse, usually caused by an abscess.
   • The defendant below hired the horse to go from Cocksackie to Schodack, and the next day after his arrival at the latter place, the horse was found to be lame in one foot; and the lameness increasing, the defendant below was obliged to leave the horse there, and hire another with which to return. About four weeks after, the horse was brought home, and showed signs of gravel working out above the hoof. 1817, William Johnson, editor, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Judicature, E. F. Backus, page 211:
   • 'Looks like pus in the foot to me.' 'I'll bet you're right,' Farnon said. 'They call it gravel around here, by the way. What do you suggest we do about it?' 1972, James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small, St. Martin's Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 22:
6. (rare, uncountable, usually) Inability to see at night; night blindness.
   • A malady that was rare, but which because of its peculiarity elicited much comment, was "night blindness" or "gravel." 1943, Bell Irvin Wiley, The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 255:
7. (uncountable, usually) Gravel cycling, a discipline in cycling different from road cycling, mountain biking or cyclocross, for a large part on gravel roads, typically with a dedicated gravel bike.
8. (slang, uncountable, usually) The stimulant drug alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone.

Forms

Coordinates

sand · silt · colloid · clay · cobble · boulder

Deriveds

gravel-walk · gravel cruncher · gravellish · kidney gravel · gravel stop · graveliferous · gravel road · gravel pit · gravel bicycle · paleogravel · gravelometer · pea gravel · gravelly · gravellike · graveldiver · gravel trap · crunchy-gravel drama · gravel-voiced · shell gravel · gravel nest · regravel · gravel-blind · gravel bike · graveler · gravel road cop

Relateds

alluvium

Synonyms

gallstones (calculus deposit) · chessil (small stones or pebbles) · chisel (small stones or pebbles) · stones (calculus deposit)

Translations (140)

ug شېغىل (small fragments of rock) · gl cascallo (small fragments of rock) · gl grava (small fragments of rock) · ga gairbhéal (small fragments of rock) · pl żwir (small fragments of rock) · nb grus (small fragments of rock) · iu ᑐᐊᐸᑦ (small fragments of rock) · de Kiesel (small fragments of rock) · tr çakıl (small fragments of rock) · sh šljúnak (small fragments of rock) · fr gravillons (small fragments of rock) · sq çakëll (small fragments of rock) · ja 砂利 (small fragments of rock) · fr gravier (type or grade of small rocks) · de Schotter (small fragments of rock) · sl gramoz (small fragments of rock) · ko 자갈 (small fragments of rock) · el χαλίκι (small fragments of rock) · hu sóder (small fragments of rock) · pt cascalho (type or grade of small rocks) · pt cascalho (particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter) · es ripio (small fragments of rock) · mnc ᠶᠠᠩᡤᡡᠸᠠᠨ (small fragments of rock) · fr gravier (archaic: kidney stone) · ar حَصَى (small fragments of rock) · ota قوم (archaic: kidney stone) · ast tritu (small fragments of rock) · fr gravier (particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter) · ky шагыл (small fragments of rock) · scn bricciulinu (small fragments of rock) · kk гравий (small fragments of rock) · grc χάλιξ (small fragments of rock) · lmo gera (small fragments of rock) · hu murva (small fragments of rock) · taa tthadhida' (small fragments of rock) · bg чакъ́л (small fragments of rock) · sq hakëll (small fragments of rock) · es gravilla (small fragments of rock) · is möl (small fragments of rock) · mhr щебёнко (small fragments of rock) · mk ча́кал (small fragments of rock) · la glārea (small fragments of rock) · scn brecciu (small fragments of rock) · lt žvyras (small fragments of rock) · gl grixo (small fragments of rock) · uz shagʻal (small fragments of rock) · es grava (small fragments of rock) · ar حَصْبَاء (small fragments of rock) · tg шағал (small fragments of rock) · bcl graba (small fragments of rock) · th กรวด (small fragments of rock) · he חָצָץ (small fragments of rock) · eu legar (small fragments of rock) · pt gravilha (small fragments of rock) · ota قوم (type or grade of small rocks) · bg бала́стра (small fragments of rock) · fur glerie (small fragments of rock) · he חָצָץ (type or grade of small rocks) · sv grus (small fragments of rock) · mk гра́гор (small fragments of rock) · de Kies (small fragments of rock) · be гра́вій (small fragments of rock) · id kerikil (small fragments of rock) · da grus (small fragments of rock) · fi sora (particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter) · hu kavics (small fragments of rock) · cy graean (small fragments of rock) · mn булш (small fragments of rock) · grc κάχληξ (small fragments of rock) · mhr щебень (small fragments of rock) · nb pukk (small fragments of rock) · kk қиыршық тас (small fragments of rock) · scn ghiara (small fragments of rock) · ast llera (small fragments of rock) · ro pietriș (small fragments of rock) · alt сай таш (small fragments of rock) · ckb چەو (small fragments of rock) · ca grava (small fragments of rock) · mi tuakirikiri (small fragments of rock) · tg сангреза (small fragments of rock) · ota قوم (small fragments of rock) · vec giara (small fragments of rock) · sh šoder (small fragments of rock) · cmn 礫石 /砾石 (small fragments of rock) · cs štěrk (small fragments of rock) · gl rebo (small fragments of rock) · sl grušč (small fragments of rock) · ast gravia (small fragments of rock) · ru гра́вий (small fragments of rock) · mi kiripōhatu (small fragments of rock) · pt cascalho (small fragments of rock) · ltg žvyrs (small fragments of rock) · ce жагӏа (small fragments of rock) · vec gera (small fragments of rock) · az çınqıl (small fragments of rock) · lmw ṣúkuj (small fragments of rock) · mi kirikiri (small fragments of rock) · eu hartxintxar (small fragments of rock) · hu kavics (particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter) · sc giarra (small fragments of rock) · sc zara (small fragments of rock) · tl graba (small fragments of rock) · uk гра́вій (small fragments of rock) · it ghiaia (small fragments of rock) · txb yare (small fragments of rock) · ckb زیخ (small fragments of rock) · sl prod (small fragments of rock) · bo བྱེ་རྡོ (small fragments of rock) · it calcolo (archaic: kidney stone) · be жвір (small fragments of rock) · nl grind (small fragments of rock) · vec jera (small fragments of rock) · gl brita (small fragments of rock) · lv grants (small fragments of rock) · pt brita (small fragments of rock) · eu muger (small fragments of rock) · vi sỏi (small fragments of rock) · da ral (small fragments of rock) · sq zhavorr (small fragments of rock) · fr graviers (small fragments of rock) · km ក្រួស (small fragments of rock) · eo gruzo (small fragments of rock) · haw ʻiliʻili makaliʻi (small fragments of rock) · mi matakirikiri (small fragments of rock) · hi बजरी (small fragments of rock) · sh шљу́нак (small fragments of rock) · tl gasang (small fragments of rock) · sco grevel (small fragments of rock) · kmr xîz (small fragments of rock) · izh puru (small fragments of rock) · sk štrk (small fragments of rock) · ms batu kerikil (small fragments of rock) · qu rawra (small fragments of rock) · lb Kiselsteen (small fragments of rock) · eu hartxinga (small fragments of rock) · de Kies (particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter) · ka ხრეში (small fragments of rock) · fi sora (small fragments of rock) · oc grava (small fragments of rock) · et kruus (small fragments of rock)

gravel en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ˈɡɹævl̩]
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɡɹævəl/
• [ˈɡɹævɯ] l-vocalization
• /ˈɡɹævəɯ/ l-vocalization

Etymology

From Middle English gravel, grauel, from Old French gravele, diminutive of grave (“gravel, seashore”), from Medieval Latin grava, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *grāwā (“gravel, pebbles”) (compare Breton groa, Cornish grow, Welsh gro), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰroh₁weh₂, from *gʰreh₁w- (“to grind”). Compare also Old English græfa (“coal”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc.
   • We kept quietly on our way until we reached a place in the road that had been freshly graveled, and where the surface was covered with stones just suited to our use. 1905, John F. Hume, The Abolitionists:
2. (transitive) To puzzle or annoy.
   • When you were gravelled for lack of matter. c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
   • The physician was so gravelled and amazed withal, that he had not a word more to say. 1579, Sir Thomas North, tr., Plutarch's Lives, The Life of Marcus Antonius
   • It graveled me like sixty to pay such a price, but I had to do it because the season was just between hay and grass. 1922, Herbert Quick, Vandemark's Folly:
   • […] I arrived at a spot where I was completely gravelled, and could go no farther one way or the other; […] 1830, Joseph Plumb Martin, “Ch. VIII”, in A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier:
3. (ambitransitive) To run (as a ship) upon the gravel or beach; to run aground; to (cause to) be grounded in gravel or sand.
   • the keeled gravelled on the beach 1902, Agnes C. Laut, Heralds of Empire: Being the Story of One Ramsay Stanhope:
   • 1605, William Camden, “Grave Speeches and wittie Apothegms of worthy Personages of this Realm in former times,” in Remaines Concerning Britain, London: Simon Miller, sixth impression, 1657, p. 243, William Conqerour when he invaded this Iland, chanced at his arrival to be gravelled, and one of his feet stuck so fast in the sand, that he fell to the ground.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To hurt or lame (a horse) by gravel or similar material lodged between the shoe and foot.
5. (archaic, slang, transitive) To prostrate; to beat to the ground.

Forms

Translations (9)

it agghiaiare (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · io stonizar (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · de schottern (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · nb gruse (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · fi sorata (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · io graviizar (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · es salpicar con grava (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · es rociar con grava (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc) · sv grusa (To apply a layer of gravel to the surface of a road, etc)