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Glite Dictionary
to macadamize

to macadamize

9.9
To cover a road with small broken stones and sometimes tar so it becomes hard
  • verb
  • /ˈmækəˌdæmaɪz/
  • Archaic
translation icon : macadamizar
  • To enhance safety, the city plans to macadamize several rural roads this year.

Examples

  • Here you could learn, for example, that during one summer "the unpaved portions of the driveways have been macadamized" at a New England school.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The road was newly macadamized, providing a smooth surface for vehicles.

  • But it was macadamized.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • They decided to macadamize the path leading to the park to improve accessibility.

Synonyms

to pave
vsto macadamize
61 2.8

To cover a road or path with hard material so it is smooth for cars and people

is specifically about layered small broken stone surfacing for roads
to asphalt
vsto macadamize
1 4.3

To cover a road or surface with the dark sticky material used on roads

relies on compacted small broken stone layers bound with tar or bitumen
to macadam
vsto macadamize
  • Archaic
9.9

To cover a road with layers of small broken stones pressed together

is the verb for applying layered small broken stone with a binder
to metal
vsto macadamize
  • Archaic
8.4

To cover a road with broken stones so vehicles can pass

is the specific layered and compacted broken stone technique for roads
to tarmac
vsto macadamize
  • UK
6.6

To cover a road or path with tar and small stones to make it smooth

is performed by layering and compacting small broken stone with binder
to cobblestone
vsto macadamize
7.7

To pave a street or path with small rounded stones

uses small broken stones compacted in layers rather than large set stones

How Paved

to pave
61 2.8
to tarmac
  • UK
6.6
to macadamize
  • Archaic
9.9
to gravel
1 4.7

Surface Forms

macadamize infinitive
macadamized past
macadamized past participle
macadamizing present participle
macadamizes third person singular

Morphology

macadamize = macadam (transparent) = macadam + ize

Productive verb formation from the noun 'macadam' with the regular suffix '-ize', yielding 'to cover with macadam'; the derivation is morphologically regular though the base is a technical term.

Etymology

The word macadamize comes from macadam, the road method named after a Scottish engineer called McAdam who covered roads with layers of small broken stones. So to macadamize a road is to 'pave' it in that style by pressing in small stones and sometimes using tar, which later gave us the word 'tarmac'.