Gravel

Definitions

1. Small fragments of rock, used for laying on the beds of roads and railways, and as ballast.
   uncountable, usually
2. A surname.
3. A type or grade of small rocks, differentiated by mineral type, size range, or other characteristics.
   uncountable, usually
4. A particle from 2 to 64 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
   uncountable, usually
5. Kidney stones; a deposit of small calculous concretions in the kidneys and the urinary or gall bladder; also, the disease of which they are a symptom.
   archaic, uncountable, usually
6. A lameness in the foot of a horse, usually caused by an abscess.
   uncountable, usually
7. Inability to see at night; night blindness.
   rare, uncountable, usually
8. Gravel cycling, a discipline in cycling different from road cycling, mountain biking or cyclocross, for a large part on gravel roads, typically with a dedicated gravel bike.
   uncountable, usually
9. The stimulant drug alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone.
   slang, uncountable, usually

Equivalents

Examples

“The great use⟳ of coffee in France is supposed to have⟳ abated the prevalency of the gravel, for where coffee is used as a constant beverage, the gravel and the gout are scarcely known.”

“The defendant below hired the horse to go from Cocksackie to Schodack, and the next day after his arrival at the latter place⟳, the horse was found to be lame in one foot; and the lameness increasing, the defendant below was obliged to leave⟳ the horse there, and hire⟳ another with which to return⟳. About four weeks after, the horse was brought home, and showed signs of gravel working out above the hoof.”

“'Looks like⟳ pus in the foot to me.' 'I'll bet⟳ you're right,' Farnon said. 'They call⟳ it gravel around here, by the way. What do you suggest⟳ we do about it?'”

“A malady that was rare, but which because of its peculiarity elicited much comment⟳, was "night blindness" or "gravel."”

CEFR level