Cobblestones

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A form of street or walkway composed of small, rounded rocks arranged closely together for stability and aesthetic appeal
2. A surface made up of closely fitted, rounded stones that provides a unique visual and functional quality to pathways
3. Small, rounded stones set together to create a durable paving surface for roads or walkways

Etymology: The surprising thing about "cobblestones" is that the "cobble" in it has nothing to do with shoemaking. A cobble was originally a rounded stone, and the word apparently grew out of "cobble" as a verb meaning to mend or patch, a link that is often assumed but not something the record fully confirms. What is clearer is that the Middle English "cobylstone" joined "cobble" and "stone," so the compound simply means a stone of the rounded kind that was gathered for paving. Related Scandinavian words point the same way. Old Norse "köppusteinn" meant "boulder," and Danish "kampesten" carries the same sense, so the idea of a large rounded rock sits at the heart of the word's family. Paved roads built from such stones were long the norm, and the name stuck to the individual stone and then to the surface made from many of them.

Synonyms: pavers, stones, cobbles, gravel, pebbles