pave

[ peyv ]
See synonyms for pave on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),paved, pav·ing.
  1. to cover or lay (a road, walk, etc.) with concrete, stones, bricks, tiles, wood, or the like, so as to make a firm, level surface.

noun
  1. Southern Louisiana. a paved road.

Idioms about pave

  1. pave the way to / for, to prepare for and facilitate the entrance of; lead up to: His analysis of the college market paved the way for their entry into textbook publishing.

Origin of pave

1
1275–1325; Middle English paven<Middle French paver<Vulgar Latin *pavare, for Latin pavīre to beat, ram, tread down

Other definitions for pavé (2 of 2)

pavé
[ puh-vey, pav-ey; French pa-vey ]

noun,plural pa·vés [puh-veyz, pav-eyz; French pa-vey]. /pəˈveɪz, ˈpæv eɪz; French paˈveɪ/.
  1. a pavement.

  2. Jewelry. a setting of stones placed close together so as to show no metal between them.

adverb
  1. Jewelry. in the manner of a pavé; as a pavé: diamonds set pavé.

adjective
  1. Also pa·véd, pa·véed . being set pavé: pavé rubies.

Origin of pavé

2
1755–65; <French, past participle of paver.See pave

Other words from pavé

  • un·paved, adjective
  • well-paved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pave in a sentence

  • The terrific "Louis Quatorze pavé," which one finds around Paris, is yearly growing less and less in quantity.

    The Automobilist Abroad | M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
  • The authorities are improving things, but it will be some time yet before Belgium is as free from pavé as is France.

    The Automobilist Abroad | M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
  • We went from Brussels to Ghent, forty-eight kilometres, and still over pavé.

    The Automobilist Abroad | M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
  • This order was given out and within half an hour the Battalion was on the pavé road, marching towards Ypres.

  • At length we emerged from the slough, and about daylight on the third morning were rumbled over the pavé of Pittsburg.

    Impressions of America | Tyrone Power

British Dictionary definitions for pave (1 of 2)

pave

/ (peɪv) /


verb(tr)
  1. to cover (a road, path, etc) with a firm surface suitable for travel, as with paving stones or concrete

  2. to serve as the material for a pavement or other hard layer: bricks paved the causeway

  1. (often foll by with) to cover with a hard layer (of): shelves paved with marble

  2. to prepare or make easier (esp in the phrase pave the way): to pave the way for future development

Origin of pave

1
C14: from Old French paver, from Latin pavīre to ram down

Derived forms of pave

  • paver, noun

British Dictionary definitions for pavé (2 of 2)

pavé

/ (ˈpæveɪ) /


noun
  1. a paved surface, esp an uneven one

  2. a style of setting gems so closely that no metal shows

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012