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Webster 1913 Edition

Concrete

Con′crete

(? or ?)
,
Adj.
[L.
concretus
, p. p. of
concrescere
to grow together;
con-
+
crescere
to grow; cf. F.
concret
. See
Crescent
.]
1.
United in growth; hence, formed by coalition of separate particles into one mass; united in a solid form.
The first
concrete
state, or consistent surface, of the chaos must be of the same figure as the last liquid state.
Bp. Burnet.
2.
(Logic)
(a)
Standing for an object as it exists in nature, invested with all its qualities, as distinguished from standing for an attribute of an object; – opposed to
abstract
.
Hence:
(b)
Applied to a specific object; special; particular; – opposed to
general
. See
Abstract
, 3.
Concrete
is opposed to abstract. The names of individuals are
concrete
, those of classes abstract.
J. S. Mill.
Concrete
terms, while they express the quality, do also express, or imply, or refer to, some subject to which it belongs.
I. Watts.
Concrete number
,
a number associated with, or applied to, a particular object, as three men, five days, etc., as distinguished from an abstract number, or one used without reference to a particular object.
–
Concrete quantity
,
a physical object or a collection of such objects.
Davies & Peck.
–
Concrete science
,
a physical science, one having as its subject of knowledge concrete things instead of abstract laws.
–
Concrete sound or movement of the voice
,
one which slides continuously up or down, as distinguished from a
discrete
movement, in which the voice leaps at once from one line of pitch to another.
Rush.

Con′crete

,
Noun.
1.
A compound or mass formed by concretion, spontaneous union, or coalescence of separate particles of matter in one body.
To divide all
concretes
, minerals and others, into the same number of distinct substances.
Boyle.
2.
A mixture of gravel, pebbles, or broken stone with cement or with tar, etc., used for sidewalks, roadways, foundations, etc., and esp. for submarine structures.
3.
(Logic)
A term designating both a quality and the subject in which it exists; a concrete term.
The
concretes
“father” and “son” have, or might have, the abstracts “paternity” and “filiety”.
J. S. Mill.
4.
(Sugar Making)
Sugar boiled down from cane juice to a solid mass.

Con-crete′

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Concreted
;
p. pr & vb. n.
Concreting
.]
To unite or coalesce, as separate particles, into a mass or solid body.
☞ Applied to some substances, it is equivalent to indurate; as, metallic matter concretes into a hard body; applied to others, it is equivalent to congeal, thicken, inspissate, coagulate, as in the concretion of blood. “The blood of some who died of the plague could not be made to concrete.”
Arbuthnot.

Con-crete′

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To form into a mass, as by the cohesion or coalescence of separate particles.
There are in our inferior world divers bodies that are
concreted
out of others.
Sir M. Hale.
2.
To cover with, or form of, concrete, as a pavement.

Webster 1828 Edition

Concrete

CONCRETE

,
Adj.
[L., to grow together, to grow. See Grow.]
1.
Literally, united in growth. Hence, formed by coalition of separate particles in one body; consistent in a mass; united in a solid form.
The first concrete state or consistent surface of the chaos.
2.
In logic, applied to a subject; not abstract; as the whiteness of snow. Here whiteness is used as a concrete term, as it expresses the quality of snow.
Concrete terms, while they express the quality, do also express, or imply, or refer to a subject to which they belong.
A concrete number expresses or denotes a particular subject, as three men; but when we use a number without reference to a subject, as three, or five, we use the term in the abstract.

CONCRETE

, n.
1.
A compound; a mass formed by concretion, spontaneous union or coalescence of separate particles of matter in one body.
Gold is a porous concrete.
2.
In philosophy, a mass or compound body, made up of different ingredients; a mixed body or mass.
Soap is a factutious concrete.
3.
In logic, a concrete term; a term that includes both the quality and the subject in which it exists; as nigrum, a black thing.

CONCRETE

,
Verb.
I.
To unite or coalesce, as separate particles, into a mass or solid body, chiefly by spontaneous cohesion, or other natural process; as saline particles concrete into crystals; blood concretes in a bowl. Applied to some substances, it is equivalent to indurate; as, metallic matter concretes into a hard body. Applied to other substances, it is equivalent to congeal, thicken, inspissate,, coagulate; as in the concretion of blood.

CONCRETE

,
Verb.
T.
To form a mass by the cohesion or coalescence of separate particles.

Definition 2024

concrete

concrete

See also: concreté and concrète

English

Adjective

concrete ‎(comparative more concrete, superlative most concrete)

  1. Particular, perceivable, real.
    Fuzzy videotapes and distorted sound recordings are not concrete evidence that bigfoot exists.
    • 2011 December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, in Guardian:
      Professor Peter Crome, chair of the audit's steering group, said the report "provides further concrete evidence that the care of patients with dementia in hospital is in need of a radical shake-up". While a few hospitals had risen to the challenge of improving patients' experiences, many have not, he said. The report recommends that all staff receive basic dementia awareness training, and staffing levels should be maintained to help such patients.
    • 2016 February 6, James Zogby, “Israel’s prickliness blocks the long quest for peace”, in The National:
      The secretary general went on to express his concern with recent Israeli announcements to expand settlements in the occupied lands, urging them to: stop the demolitions of Palestinian homes and confiscation of Palestinian lands, address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and to take concrete steps to improve the daily lives of the Palestinian people.
  2. Not abstract.
    Once arrested, I realized that handcuffs are concrete, even if my concept of what is legal wasn’t.
    • John Stuart Mill
      The names of individuals are concrete, those of classes abstract.
    • I. Watts
      Concrete terms, while they express the quality, do also express, or imply, or refer to, some subject to which it belongs.
  3. United in growth; hence, formed by coalition of separate particles into one mass; united in a solid form.
    • Bishop Burnet
      The first concrete state, or consistent surface, of the chaos must be of the same figure as the last liquid state.
  4. Made of concrete building material.
    The office building had concrete flower boxes out front.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Noun

concrete ‎(uncountable)

  1. A building material created by mixing cement, water, and aggregate including gravel and sand.
    The road was made of concrete that had been poured in large slabs.
  2. A solid mass formed by the coalescence of separate particles.
    • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical Chymist, page 26:
      "...upon the suppos’d Analysis made by the fire, of the former sort of Concretes, there are wont to emerge Bodies resembling those which they take for the Elements...
  3. (US) A dessert of frozen custard with various toppings.
    • 2010, June Naylor, Judy Wiley, Insiders' Guide to Dallas and Fort Worth (page 54)
      Besides cones, Curley's serves sundaes, and concretes—custard with all sorts of yummy goodness blended in, like pecans, caramel, almonds, […]
    • John Lutz, Diamond Eyes (page 170)
      When Nudger and Claudia were finished eating they drove to the Ted Drewes frozen custard stand on Chippewa and stood in line for a couple of chocolate chip concretes.
  4. (logic) A term designating both a quality and the subject in which it exists; a concrete term.
    • John Stuart Mill
      The concretes "father" and "son" have, or might have, the abstracts "paternity" and "filiety".
  5. Sugar boiled down from cane juice to a solid mass.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Verb

concrete ‎(third-person singular simple present concretes, present participle concreting, simple past and past participle concreted)

  1. (transitive) To cover with or encase in concrete; often constructed as concrete over.
    I hate grass, so I concreted over my lawn.
  2. (transitive, figuratively) To solidify; to change from being abstract to being concrete.
    • 2007, Charles Reinold Noyes, The Institution of Property (page 536)
      Just so economics has concreted the concept of capital.
  3. (intransitive, figuratively) To solidify; to go from being abstract to being concrete. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  4. (intransitive, obsolete) To unite or coalesce, as separate particles, into a mass or solid body.
    • Arbuthnot
      The blood of some who died of the plague could not be made to concrete.

Translations

Derived terms

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

concrete

  1. Inflected form of concreet

Anagrams

Italian

Adjective

concrete

  1. feminine plural of concreto

Latin

Participle

concrēte

  1. vocative masculine singular of concrētus

Spanish

Verb

concrete

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of concretar.
  2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of concretar.
  3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of concretar.

Etymology

From Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere (com- + crescere).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɒnkɹiːt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌkɑnˈkɹiːt/, /ˈkɑnkɹiːt/
  • Rhymes: -iːt

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