pebble

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A small stone, especially one rounded by the action of water.
2. (countable, uncountable) A particle from 4 to 64 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
3. (countable, uncountable) A small droplet of water intentionally sprayed on the ice that cause irregularities on the surface.
4. (countable, uncountable) Transparent and colourless rock crystal.
5. (countable, uncountable) A form of slow-burning gunpowder in large cubical grains.
6. (countable, slang, uncountable) A small piece of crack cocaine.

Verb

1. (transitive) To pave with pebbles.
2. (transitive) To deposit water droplets on the ice.
3. (transitive) To give (leather) a rough appearance with small rounded prominences.
4. (transitive) To place a pebble at (a vertex of a graph) according to certain rules, in a pebble game.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɛb.əl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: pibel

Inherited from Old English: papol-stān

Inherited from Old English: *papol

Inherited from Old English: stān

Cognate with Albanian: popël

In summary

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

stone

🪨

gravel

rock

🪨

small stone

shingle

grit

boulder

cobble

coarse sand

little stone

pebbles

cobblestone

rock crystal

rubble

white rock

round stone

mountain crystal

jack-stone

coobble

grait

boulder flint

battery

🔋

berg crystal

crystal

flint

grain

jewel

lens

mountain

⛰️

particle

paving stone

quartz crystal

rocks

hard rock

bit of gravel

P

Translations

caillou

ciottolo

Kieselstein

pierre

🪨

galet

guijarro

kiezel

Kiesel

seixo

còdol

kamyk

pedra

🪨

sassolino

βότσαλο

calculus