Rubblestone

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A form of construction aggregate made from rough fragments of stone that often serves as fill material or a base in various building projects
2. A type of coarse aggregate consisting of unshaped stone fragments commonly utilized as a foundational element in construction projects
3. A building material composed of irregularly shaped stone pieces used mainly for filling or support in structures

Etymology: Rubblestone is simply a compound of "rubble" and "stone," and its story is the story of its parts. Rubble, the loose fragments left when masonry breaks apart, is the older half of the pairing, and the stone it describes is the rough, unshaped material that masons use before dressing, meaning stone that has not been cut into smooth, regular blocks. The compound therefore names a kind of building material by its condition rather than by its origin. The word's usefulness lies in that distinction. A rubblestone wall is built from irregular pieces fitted together and bonded with mortar, so the rough faces are the point rather than a flaw. The word keeps the image of broken masonry while describing stone that was never worked into square blocks in the first place.