Slabstone

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈslæb.stəʊn/

Definitions

1. A thick, flat stone often employed in architectural projects for both practical applications and visual appeal
2. A sizable, solid flat rock primarily used in building contexts as well as for decorative landscaping features
3. A large, flat piece of stone typically utilized for construction purposes and aesthetic enhancements in landscaping

Etymology: Slabstone is a compound of two plain English words, "slab" and "stone," and its history is simple. "Slab" is the older of the two in the sense of a thick, flat piece of stone or wood; it appears in Middle English in the 1300s and probably reaches back to Old French or Middle Low German roots, though its exact origin is uncertain. "Stone" is native Old English, "stān," and has been in the language since before the Norman Conquest. Putting the two together produced a compound that describes exactly what it names: a stone that is a slab. English speakers have long formed such pairings to specify a shape or use, as with "millstone" or "gravestone." The combined form is attested in English from the 1700s onward, typically for paving slabs, gravemarkers and the flat stones used in building and engineering. Because the parts are so transparent, the word has changed little in meaning since it first appeared.