Cemented

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Joined together firmly or tightly ; becoming hard or fixed by a binding substance ; made permanent or strongly established
2. Fixed in place by a strong joining process ; hardened into a solid state by a binding agent ; firmly established in a lasting way
3. United securely using adhesive or mortar ; transformed into a solid mass by drying or curing ; made enduring or permanent over time

Etymology: The verb "cemented" traces back to a Latin word for rough building stone. The Latin "caementum" meant quarry stone or chips of stone used for making mortar, and it came from "caedo," meaning "to cut" or "to hew." So the original sense was physical and practical: broken rubble, the aggregate builders mixed into lime. The material was named for the act of cutting it. The word passed through Old French as "ciment" and reached Middle English as "syment," later spelled "cement." Its meaning then narrowed and shifted. Over time "cement" came to name the binding agent itself, the paste that holds stones together, rather than the stone chips it once described. The verb then took on figurative life. To cement something is to bind it firmly, so an alliance, a reputation or a habit can be "cemented" in place, becoming fixed and hard to dislodge. A word first meaning chipped rock now describes what makes relationships and ideas last.

Synonyms: fixed, secured, established, settled, anchored

Antonyms: loosened, dismantled, removed, dislodged, unset