Gravel

How to spell gravel

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce gravel

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does gravel mean?

1. nounSmall loose stones, often used to surface paths, driveways, and roads.

Gravel in a sentence

• The long gravel driveway crunched under the tyres.

• They spread fresh gravel across the muddy garden path.

Where does gravel come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from the Old French gravele, a diminutive of grave, meaning a sandy seashore or a stretch of coarse pebbles. The French term itself probably traces back to a Celtic root meaning gravel or coarse sand, related to words for grit and small stones. English took it on during the early 1300s, keeping the sense of small loose stones used to cover paths, roads, and beds of streams. The medical sense, describing small mineral concretions or 'stones' that form in the kidneys or bladder, grew naturally from the image of tiny stony fragments. The spelling stays close to its French parent, with the single -el ending that can tempt writers into doubling the l or swapping in -le.

How the word is built

• grav- (from Old French gravele: coarse sand, pebbles)
• -el (diminutive suffix)