How do you pronounce macadam?

The recorded pronunciation is /məˈkædəm/.

Where does macadam come from?

It is traced to Scottish Gaelic.

macadam

/məˈkædəm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.29 in modern English

Syllables: macadam
IPA: /məˈkædəm/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The surface of a road consisting of layers of crushed stone (usually tar-coated for modern traffic).

Uncountable

noun

Any road or street.

American usage; Countable; Dated

verb

To cover or surface with macadam.

Transitive verb

name

Alternative spelling of MacAdam.

name

A surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Example Sentences

"This narrow-gauge line had suffered the same fate as that between Schull and Skibbereen, with the track taken up except where it runs through one of the town streets and is embedded in the macadam."

Etymology

Named after Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836), who invented the process of macadamization. Used for describing road surfaces originally constructed using the McAdam method, but now sometimes used for any road or street.

Origin

Source language: Scottish Gaelic

Word Breakdown

Root: Mac Àdhaimh

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /məˈkædəm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

macadams (plural) McAdam (alternative) macadams (present, singular) macadaming (participle, present) macadamming (participle, present) macadamed (participle, past) macadamed (past) macadammed (participle, past) macadammed (past) McKeggie (alternative)

Derived Forms

macadamization macadamize tarmac tarmacadam macadamia macadam macadamise macadamisation McAdam McAdamise McAdamize McAdamization

Frequently Paired Words

asphalt

Synonyms

macadamize tarmacadam tarmac macadamise

Rhymes With

adam madame madam mcadam cadam