The present participle of 'concrete,' meaning to make something solid and real, or to cover with concrete material.
From Latin 'concretus' (grown together, solidified), from 'concrescere' combining 'con-' (together) and 'crescere' (to grow). Originally referring to things growing together into a solid mass, the word evolved to mean both actual concrete material and the abstract idea of making something definite and real.
The word 'concrete' has two very different meanings—the building material AND abstract ideas made definite—and they come from the same Latin root meaning 'grown together.' Roman concrete (called opus caementicium) was so durable that 2,000-year-old structures still stand!
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