concrete

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

con·crete [concrete concretes concreted concreting] adjective, noun, verb BrE [ˈkɒŋkriːt] NAmE [ˈkɑːŋkriːt]
adjective
1. made of concrete
•a concrete floor
2. based on facts, not on ideas or guesses
•concrete evidence/proposals/proof
• ‘It's only a suspicion,’ she said, ‘nothing concrete.’
• It is easier to think in concrete terms rather than in the abstract.
compare ↑abstract (¹)
3. a concrete object is one that you can see and feel

Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘solidified’): from French concret or Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere ‘grow together’. The noun sense ‘building material’ dates from the mid 19th cent.

Example Bank:
•‘It's only a suspicion,’ she said, ‘nothing concrete.’
•By the end of the meeting some fairly concrete proposals had been put forward.
•This is an urban tragedy that needs concrete action, not just concern.
Derived Word: ↑concretely
 
noun uncountable
building material that is made by mixing together ↑cement, sand, small stones and water
•a slab of concrete
• The pathway is formed from large pebbles set in concrete.

Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘solidified’): from French concret or Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere ‘grow together’. The noun sense ‘building material’ dates from the mid 19th cent.

Example Bank:
•Before the concrete sets the surface can be given a final smoothing over.
•I do not regard the constitution of the United Kingdom as set in concrete.
•I do not regard this plan as set in concrete.
•a floor made of bare concrete

 
verb ~ sth (over)
to cover sth with ↑concrete
• The garden had been concreted over.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘solidified’): from French concret or Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere ‘grow together’. The noun sense ‘building material’ dates from the mid 19th cent.