pebble
Use Pebble in a sentence
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əl noun
1.
a small, rounded stone, especially one worn smooth by the action of water.
2.
Also called pebble leather. leather that has been given a granulated surface.
3.
any granulated or crinkled surface, especially of a textile.
4.
a transparent colorless rock crystal used for the lenses of eyeglasses.
5.
a lens made from this crystal.
verb (used with object)
6.
to prepare (leather) so as to have a granulated surface.
7.
to pelt with or as with pebbles.
00:10
Pebble
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English pibbil, puble, pobble; compare Old English pæbbel (in place names), papel-, popel- (in compounds); phonological relations unclear
1250–1300; Middle English pibbil, puble, pobble; compare Old English pæbbel (in place names), papel-, popel- (in compounds); phonological relations unclear
Related forms
un·peb·bled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pebble
Collins
World English Dictionary
pebble (ˈpɛbəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. a small smooth rounded stone, esp one worn by the action of water |
| b. geology a rock fragment, often rounded, with a diameter of 4--64 mm and thus smaller than a cobble but larger than a granule | |
| 2. | a. a transparent colourless variety of rock crystal, used for making certain lenses |
| b. such a lens | |
| 3. | informal (modifier) (of a lens or of spectacles) thick, with a high degree of magnification or distortion |
| 4. | a. a grainy irregular surface, esp on leather |
| b. leather having such a surface | |
| 5. | informal chiefly (Austral) a troublesome or obstinate person or animal |
| —vb | |
| 6. | to pave, cover, or pelt with pebbles |
| 7. | to impart a grainy surface to (leather) |
| [Old English papolstān, from papol- (perhaps of imitative origin) + stān stone] | |
| 'pebbly | |
| —adj | |
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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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
pebble
late 13c., from O.E. papolstan "pebblestone," of unknown origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| pebble (pěb'əl) Pronunciation Key
A rock fragment larger than a granule and smaller than a cobble. Pebbles have a diameter between 4 and 64 mm (0.16 and 2.56 inches) and are often rounded. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
Pebble definition
A polymorphic language.
["A Kernel Language for Abstract Data Types and Modules", R.M. Burstall & B. Lampson, in Semantics of Data Types, LNCS 173, Springer 1984].
(1995-01-26)
American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
People think it's only one pebble, in such a vast area, so it makes no difference if they take it.
Also, if you do manage to get a small pebble in there, you'll have to take your shoes off to get it out again.
After all you only need a small pebble of uranium to power a whole city for over a month.
Drop a pebble in a river and there's no effect on the course of the river.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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