sandstone

IPA/ˈsændstəʊn/
KK[sˈændstˌon]IPA/ˈsændstəʊn/

sandstone — noun

1. a natural rock formed when sand grains are pressed and stuck together by mineral

1.nounB1
Definition

a natural rock formed when sand grains are pressed and stuck together by minerals, often used in buildings and walls

Example

The old church was built from local sandstone that had a warm golden colour.

built from + [material] — describing construction materials

Hikers followed a narrow path through red sandstone cliffs in the desert.

collocation: sandstone cliffs

Common collocations
  • sandstone cliffs
  • sandstone walls
  • sandstone buildings
  • sandstone quarry
  • sandstone formation
  • carve sandstone
  • build from sandstone
  • red sandstone
  • local sandstone
Synonyms
  • sedimentary rock

    a broader category; sandstone is one type of sedimentary rock

  • freestone

    a historical term for sandstone that can be cut easily in any direction, less common in modern usage

Usage Note

Sandstone is usually uncountable when referring to the material in general (e.g. 'a bridge made of sandstone'), but can be countable when talking about different varieties or geological formations (e.g. 'the sandstones of the Colorado Plateau').

Common Mistakes

The children played on the soft sandstone at the beach.
The children played on the soft sand at the beach.
Sandstone is hard rock, not loose sand.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Sandstone is one specific type of rock, so it is narrower than rock (which covers all solid mineral matter) and stone (which can mean any hard, non-metallic material used in building, including manufactured ones like concrete). Sedimentary rock is the broad geological category that includes sandstone alongside limestone, shale, and chalk. Limestone is the closest point of confusion: both are sedimentary rocks used in building, but limestone forms from marine shells and calcium carbonate, while sandstone forms from sand grains with silica or mineral cement. In everyday use, a 'stone wall' could be made of sandstone or limestone; a 'sandstone wall' specifies the material. For learners, sandstone is the word to use when the sandy texture or warm colour of the rock is relevant.

rock ↗stone ↗sedimentary rocklimestone ↗

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Sandstone is formed from two Old English words: 'sand' (meaning small grains of worn-down rock, from Proto-Germanic *sandam) and 'stān' (meaning rock or stone, from Proto-Germanic *stainaz). The compound has been used in English since at least the 1600s to describe the common sedimentary rock.

First known use

1609

1609, in the meaning defined above