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bluestone

bluestone

1 6.5
A bluish-grey stone used for paving and building
  • noun
  • /ˈbluːstoʊn/
translation icon : piedra azul
  • The path leading to the entrance was laid with beautiful bluestone slabs.

Examples

  • And last year, excavators found the remains of a 30-foot-wide ring that is believed to have been made of bluestones similar to those imported from Wales for Stonehenge.

    Academic text (2010)
  • They admired the decorative bluestone used in the building's façade for its unique color.

  • The fence has been removed, and construction has begun on a low-rise bluestone wall.

    Blog text (29)
  • The property also includes in-unit laundry facilities, designated parking, a separate storage room on the lower level, and a private bluestone patio in the garden.

    Blog text (6)
  • And unlike most of the bluestones, they were subjected to laborious dressing and surface finishing.

    Academic text (2008)
  • These, claims Darvill, must be the bluestones, which geologists say came from the Preseli Hills, an area surrounded by sacred springs in southwest Wales.

    Academic text (2008)
  • There, massive blocks of sarsen sandstone rise 17 feet, encircling even larger sarsen stones and rings of bluestones up to eight feet high that had been transported more than 200 miles from the Preseli Hills in Wales.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The new patio was constructed using bluestone, giving it an elegant and durable finish.

Synonyms

firestone
vsbluestone
  • Specialized
24 9.0

A hard stone that resists very high heat used to line fireplaces or kilns

is used for paving and building today rather than resisting high heat
cobblestone
vsbluestone
18 4.0

A small rounded stone used to pave old streets and squares

is quarried and cut into blocks rather than rounded natural stones
flagstone
vsbluestone
9 4.9

A flat thin piece of stone used to make a path or patio

is thicker sandstone that comes as blocks rather than thin flat pieces
brownstone
vsbluestone
  • US
1 4.6

A reddish-brown stone used to build houses and walls

has a bluish grey color instead of reddish brown
greystone
vsbluestone
  • UK
4.7

A gray stone used for building walls and houses

has a bluish grey tint rather than neutral gray
whinstone
vsbluestone
  • UK
9.9

A hard dark rock people use to make roads and buildings

is a softer bluish grey sandstone rather than a hard dark rock
greenstone
vsbluestone
7.8

A greenish rock used long ago to make tools or jewelry

is used for paving and building today rather than for ancient tools or ornaments

Surface Forms

bluestone singular
bluestones plural

Morphology

bluestone = blue + stone (semi-transparent) = blue + stone

While the components 'blue' and 'stone' are clear, the specific meaning of a 'bluish-grey sandstone' used for construction is specialized and not immediately obvious.

Etymology

Bluestone is simply blue + stone, meaning a stone that is 'blue' or 'blue-grey', and it was named for its colour because people use it as slabs and blocks for paving and building.