# concrete Pronunciation: US say "kon-KREET" /ˌkɑnˈkɹiːt/; UK say "KON-kreet" /ˈkɒnkɹiːt/ ## Adjective 1. Dealing with or existing as real, particular things instead of abstract qualities or general categories. - Simple: Dealing with real things you can see or touch, rather than ideas or types. - _She always asks for concrete examples before accepting a theory._ - _Without concrete evidence, the claim remained just speculation._ 2. Real, actual, and able to be touched or perceived. - Simple: Real and able to be seen, touched, or proven. - _The detective needed concrete evidence to make an arrest._ - _Their findings gave the team something concrete to act on._ 3. Constructed from the hard building composite of cement and aggregate. - Simple: Made from the hard gray material used to build roads, floors, and walls. - _The bridge rests on massive concrete pillars._ - _Workers laid a concrete foundation before building the frame._ 5. Particular and specific, rather than general or unspecified. - Simple: About one exact thing, not general or vague ideas. - _The committee asked for concrete proposals rather than general aims._ - _She gave one concrete example to support each point._ 12. Of a category: having objects that can be regarded as sets equipped with additional structure; formally, supplied with a faithful functor to the category of sets. - Simple: Describing a kind of math structure whose objects are really sets with extra features built on top. - _The category of topological spaces is concrete, since each space is a set carrying a topology._ - _Mathematicians call a category concrete when a faithful functor maps its objects to underlying sets._ 13. Of a category: equipped with a faithful functor to a chosen base category X, in which case it is called a concrete category over X. - Simple: Describing a math category linked to a chosen base category by a special kind of mapping. - _When the functor targets a base other than sets, the category is concrete over that base._ - _Topos theorists describe a category as concrete over a topos when a faithful functor lands in it._ ## Noun 4. A building material that hardens from a mix of cement, water, and aggregate such as sand or gravel. - Simple: A hard building material made by mixing cement, water, and small stones or sand. - _Engineers measured how much concrete the foundation would need._ - _The contractor ordered enough concrete to pave the entire lot._ 6. A building material of the kind whose cement is Portland cement or a similar limestone-based derivative. - Simple: A hard building material that uses Portland cement, a powder made from limestone. - _The bridge was poured from concrete bound with Portland cement._ - _Modern concrete relies on Portland cement rather than older lime binders._ 9. A dessert of thick frozen custard blended with various toppings such as candy, fruit, or nuts. *(US)* - Simple: A thick frozen custard dessert mixed with toppings like candy or fruit. - _The custard stand is famous for a concrete so thick the spoon stands straight up._ - _He ordered a brownie concrete and ate it before it could melt._ 10. A term that designates both a quality and the subject in which that quality exists; a concrete term. - Simple: A word that names a quality and also the thing that has that quality. - _In traditional logic, 'white' functions as a concrete, naming the quality and the white object together._ - _Grammarians once classed 'wise' among concretes when it denoted both wisdom and the wise person._ 11. A semi-solid extract of plant materials, especially partly aromatic ones, used as a base in perfume-making. - Simple: A thick, semi-solid extract made from plants, often valued for its strong smell. - _Rose concrete is produced by solvent extraction before being refined into a purer absolute._ - _She measured out the concrete carefully, knowing how concentrated the floral oils were._ ## Verb 7. To cover or encase something in concrete, the building material. - Simple: To cover or fill something with wet concrete that hardens into a solid surface. - _The city concreted the riverbank to prevent erosion._ - _They will concrete the support pillars before winter._ 8. To solidify something abstract, making a vague idea become real, definite, and fixed. - Simple: To turn a vague idea into something real and definite. - _The agreement concreted months of informal talks into a binding contract._ - _A signed memo can concrete plans that were until then merely spoken._ ## Noun 14. A solid body produced when separate particles join and grow together into one compound substance. *(obsolete)* - Simple: A solid lump formed when separate bits join together into one mass. - _The naturalist described the stone as a concrete of many small grains fused over centuries._ - _Each concrete in the specimen jar had formed from particles bound tightly together._ 17. Sugar boiled down from cane juice until it forms a solid mass. *(obsolete)* - Simple: Sugar made by boiling cane juice down into a solid lump. ## Adjective 15. Made up of separate parts combined; composite. *(obsolete)* - Simple: Made up of several separate parts joined together. 16. Not liquid or fluid; in a solid state. *(obsolete)* - Simple: Solid, not liquid, so it cannot flow or pour. - _Once chilled, the oil became concrete and had to be scraped from the jar._ - _The sap hardened until it was wholly concrete._ ## Verb 18. To form one solid body by coming together. *(archaic)* - Simple: To come together and harden into one solid mass. - _The molten metals concrete as the furnace slowly loses heat._ - _Left undisturbed, the sediment will concrete at the bottom of the flask._ ## Origin Borrowed from Latin concrētus, the past participle of concrescō ("to curdle" or grow together), which comes from con- (with, together) plus crescō (to grow, rise). Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/concrete (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).