ce·ment

[si-ment]
noun
1.
any of various calcined mixtures of clay and limestone, usually mixed with water and sand, gravel, etc., to form concrete, that are used as a building material.
2.
any of various soft, sticky substances that dry hard or stonelike, used especially for mending broken objects or for making things adhere.
3.
Petrography. the compact groundmass surrounding and binding together the fragments of clastic rocks.
4.
anything that binds or unites: Time is the cement of friendship.
5.
Dentistry.
a.
a hardening, adhesive, plastic substance, used in the repair of teeth for anchoring fillings or inlays, for filling, or for fastening crowns.
b.
Informal. cementum.
verb (used with object)
6.
to unite by or as if by cement: to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.
7.
to coat or cover with cement: to cement a floor.
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verb (used without object)
8.
to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.
Origin:
1250–1300; < Latin cēmentum, variant of caementum (singular of caementa unprocessed cuttings from the quarry, i.e., rough stone and chips) < *caed-mentom, equivalent to caed(ere) to cut + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English cyment < Old French ciment < Latin, as above

Related forms
ce·ment·a·ble, adjective
ce·ment·er, noun
ce·ment·less, adjective
re·ce·ment, verb
well-ce·ment·ed, adjective

Can be confused: cement, concrete, mortar.

Synonyms
6. merge, join, bind, fuse, secure.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
cement (sɪˈmɛnt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a fine grey powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay, used with water and sand to make mortar, or with water, sand, and aggregate, to make concrete
2.  a binder, glue, or adhesive
3.  something that unites or joins; bond
4.  dentistry any of various materials used in filling teeth
5.  mineral matter, such as silica and calcite, that binds together particles of rock, bones, etc, to form a solid mass of sedimentary rock
6.  another word for cementum
 
—vb
7.  to reinforce or consolidate: once a friendship is cemented it will last for life
8.  to join, bind, or glue together with or as if with cement
9.  to coat or cover with cement
 
[C13: from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum stone from the quarry, from caedere to hew]
 
ce'menter
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cement
c.1300, from O.Fr. ciment, from L. cæmenta "stone chips used for making mortar," from cædere "to cut down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay" from PIE base *(s)k(h)a- "to strike" (cf. Skt. skhidati "beats, tears," Lith. kaisti "shave," Ger. heien "beat"). The sense evolution from "small broken
stones" to "powdered stones used in construction" took place before the word reached English. The verb is from mid-14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

cement ce·ment (sĭ-měnt')
n.

  1. A substance used for filling dental cavities or anchoring crowns, inlays, or other restorations.

  2. See cementum.

  3. A substance that hardens to act as an adhesive; glue.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
As for the cement-block problem, it is common to fake and live plants.
Apply a dot of the household cement to the back of the spoon's bowl.
Besides, few of these highly qualified immigrants would be interested in
  pouring cement or coffee for a living.
The problem is akin to joining a rope to a cement wall.
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