What does stone mean?
Stone is a common and highly versatile word for a hard substance formed from mineral matter, especially pieces of rock or material used in construction. Its meanings range from literal objects and building materials to smaller uses, such as the pit of a fruit, a projectile, a unit of weight, and the overall score assigned in an examination. The word also appears in many familiar expressions, including Stone Age, cornerstone, stonewall, and a stone's throw. Because stone is associated with permanence, hardness, endurance, and permanence in architecture, it can carry metaphorical implications of strength, stability, or unchanging quality. In British English, stone is also a traditional unit of weight, whereas US usage generally uses the pound for the equivalent weight. The word's broad range of literal and figurative uses makes it useful in describing both physical materials and abstract qualities.
A hard, solid piece or mass of mineral matter, especially one broken or cut from rock; also a unit of weight, a fruit pit, or an overall examination score.
"The builder chose pale stone for the front of the house."
As a unit of weight, stone means 14 pounds in British usage and 6 pounds in US usage.
To throw or pelt something with stones; to remove or treat a fruit as if its stone has been removed.
"They stoned the old wall until the loose pieces fell away."
The verb is less common than the noun and can sound literary or informal depending on context.
Made of stone or resembling stone; also describing a fruit that has had its stone removed.
"A stone cottage stood beside the road."
The adjective is chiefly literary or regional in some uses, especially for stone fruit.
The plural is used for separate pieces of stone, stones used as projectiles, fruit pits, or individual examination scores.
"The children carried several smooth stones to the river."
The word stone has remained remarkably durable: from the durable stones used in ancient monuments to the modern expression that a rolling stone gathers no moss.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stone come from?
The English word stone comes from Old English stān, a Germanic term inherited through the ancestor of English, German, Dutch, and several other northern European languages. Its forms correspond to words such as German Stein and Dutch steen, which also mean stone. The modern English sense developed through Old English, where the word could refer to a piece of rock, a building material, a gem, or a hard seed or pit. Related forms such as stony reflect the same inherited root.
Related word forms
How stone is actually used
In British English, stone is also a unit of weight equal to 14 pounds; in US usage, the corresponding unit is usually stated as 6 pounds. The unit of weight should not be confused with the mineral material itself. In informal contexts, a stoned person is intoxicated, while stoned can also mean immobilized or unable to move.