asphalt

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæsfælt/, /ˈæsfəlt/ (UK); /ˈæsfɔlt/, /ˈæʃfɔlt/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English aspalt, aspaltoun,^[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Late Latin asphaltum, aspaltus,^[3][6][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, “asphalt, bitumen”).^{[2][3][6][4][5]} The Greek word is often explained as a- “not” and *sphaltós “able to be thrown down”, from sphállein, from its use as a binding material that kept walls from falling,^[3][6] but Beekes finds this weak, and it may be from a Semitic or other non-Greek source.^[6] The later spelling asphalt reproduces French asphalte.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A hard, black or brownish resinous mineral pitch found originally in Biblical lands (c. 1325 in the OED; early 14th century in Etymonline; before 1398 in Barnhart).^[7][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The meaning “paving composition of bitumen, pitch and gravel” dates from 1847,^[7][6] and its popular use in this sense established the modern form, displacing asphaltum and asphaltos in most senses.^[6] The verb, to cover with asphalt, dates from about 1859 in Merriam-Webster and 1872 in the OED.^[4][7][6]

Timeline

• c. 1325 – mineral pitch.^[7]
• about 1380 – asphaltoun.^[3]
• 1847 – a paving composition.^[7][6]
• c. 1859 – verb, to pave with asphalt.^[4]
• 1872 – first OED quotation of the verb.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A brownish-black solid or semisolid mixture of bitumens, found in natural deposits or obtained as a by-product of petroleum refining, used in paving, roofing and waterproofing.
2. Asphalt mixed with crushed stone, gravel or sand, used for paving or roofing.

Verb

1. To pave or coat with asphalt.

Word family

• asphaltic
• asphaltlike
• asphaltite
• asphaltene
• glasphalt
• asphalt jungle
• asphalt paper

Related words

• bitumen
• tar
• pitch

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press