Added 8 October 2026
rock
/ɹɒk/ noun
In Latin: saxum, rupes, silex Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rock at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A formation of minerals, specifically: The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.
The face of the cliff is solid rock.
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The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.
The face of the cliff is solid rock.
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A mass of stone projecting out of the ground or water.
The ship crashed on the rocks.
verb
verb
noun
Origin
Inherited from Middle English rocke, rokke (“rock formation”), from Old English *rocc (“rock”), as in Old English stānrocc (“high stone rock, peak, obelisk”), and also later from Anglo-Norman roque, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher), from Medieval Latin rocca (attested 767), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be of Celtic (in particular, perhaps Gaulish) origin (compare Breton roc'h). Related also to Middle Low German rocke (“rock ledge”). One suggestion is that it derives from Vulgar Latin *rupica, from rupes (compare rupico).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)