Macadam

Pronunciation: /məˈkædəm/

Definitions of macadam

noun a road surface or pavement made of compacted layers of broken stone, typically bound with tar, asphalt, or asphaltic oil

Example Sentences

A1 The workers were laying down macadam to create a new road.

A2 The children enjoyed riding their bikes on the smooth macadam path.

B1 The city council decided to resurface the old road with a layer of macadam.

B2 The construction crew used heavy machinery to compact the macadam for the new highway.

C1 The historic district was known for its well-preserved macadam streets.

C2 The engineering team conducted tests to determine the optimal thickness of the macadam layer for the bridge.

Examples of macadam in a Sentence

formal The road was paved with macadam to ensure a smooth driving surface.

informal I love riding my bike on the macadam path in the park.

slang Let's take a shortcut through the macadam lot to get to the store faster.

figurative The team worked together like the pieces of a macadam puzzle, fitting perfectly into place.

Grammatical Forms of macadam

• past tense: macadamed
• plural: macadams
• comparative: more macadam
• superlative: most macadam
• present tense: macadams
• future tense: will macadam
• perfect tense: have macadamed
• continuous tense: is macadaming
• singular: macadam
• positive degree: macadam
• infinitive: to macadam
• gerund: macadaming
• participle: macadamed

Origin and Evolution of macadam

First Known Use: 1824 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The word 'macadam' originated from the surname of Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam, who developed the process of building roads with compacted layers of small stones.

Evolution of the word: Initially used to refer specifically to roads built using McAdam's method, the term 'macadam' has evolved to generally describe any road surface made of compacted layers of small stones or gravel.