sandstone
n. C / Un. a type of soft rock made from tiny grains of sand that have been pressed together over a long time. It is often used for building because it is easy to cut into shapes.
n. a sedimentary rock composed primarily of sand-sized silicate grains, typically quartz or feldspar, cemented together by a mineral matrix. It is widely used in construction and sculpture due to its relative workability.
The old church is built from local red sandstone.
Wind and water have carved the sandstone cliffs into smooth, flowing shapes over millions of years.
The preservation of delicate fossils within the sandstone layer suggests a rapid burial process that protected the remains from scavengers and significant environmental decay.
From Middle English sandston, from Old English sandstān, from Proto-West Germanic sandastain (“sandstone, chisel, gravel”), equivalent to sand + stone. Cognate with West Frisian sânstien (“sandstone”), Saterland Frisian Soundsteen (“sandstone”), Dutch zandsteen (“sandstone”), German Low German Sandsteen (“sandstone”), German Sandstein (“sandstone”), Danish sandsten (“sandstone”), Swedish sandsten (“sandstone”), Icelandic sandsteinn (“sandstone”).
Uncountable when referring to the material in general; countable when referring to specific geological formations or varieties.