pave
(pāv)tr.v. paved,
pav·ing,
paves 1. To cover with a pavement.
2. To cover uniformly, as if with pavement.
3. To be or compose the pavement of.
Idiom: pave the way To make progress or development easier: experiments that paved the way for future research.
[Middle English
paven, from Old French
paver, from Latin
pavīre,
to beat, tread down; see
pau- in
Indo-European roots.]
pav′er n.
pa·vé
(pă-vā′, păv′ā)n. A setting of precious stones placed together so closely that no metal shows: diamonds in pavé.
[French, from past participle of paver, to pave, from Old French; see pave.]
pa·vé adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.