cement Look up cement at Dictionary.com
c.1300, from O.Fr. ciment, from L. cæmenta "stone chips used for making mortar," from cædere "to cut down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay" from PIE base *(s)k(h)a- "to strike" (cf. Skt. skhidati "beats, tears," Lith. kaisti "shave," Ger. heien "beat"). The sense evolution from "small broken stones" to "powdered stones used in construction" took place before the word reached Eng. The verb is from 1340.