cement-block
UK[sɪˈmɛnt blɒk]US[səˈmɛnt blɑːk]
n
A large, heavy rectangular block, often made from concrete, used in building construction.
n
A building material consisting of cement and an aggregate (such as sand or gravel) formed into a solid block.
Morpheme Breakdown
cement
block
cement
binding powder
block
solid piece
Etymology
The term is a transparent compound from two distinct linguistic lineages. "Cement" traces back to Latin caementum, originally referring to rough stone fragments used in Roman concrete, a meaning which evolved to specify the powdered binding agent itself. "Block" entered English from a Germanic source via Dutch and French, carrying the core sense of a solid, often cuboidal mass. The compound "cement-block" logically combines these elements to name a modern, mass-produced building unit: a solid piece (block) whose essential composition and binding property comes from cement, typically in the form of concrete.
Analysis
Structure: cement (binding powder) + block (solid piece)
- cement: From Latin caementum meaning "quarry stone, rough stone chips used for making mortar", via Old French ciment. In this compound, it denotes the primary binding material.
- block: From Middle Dutch blok meaning "log, tree trunk", via Old French bloc. In this compound, it denotes the shape and function as a solid, standardized building unit.
Examples
The garden wall was constructed from weathered cement-blocks.
They loaded the cement-blocks onto the truck for the new construction site.
A cement-block serves as a more affordable alternative to carved stone in many projects.