macadam
/məˈkadəm
/noun [mass noun]
Broken stone of even size, bound with tar or bitumen and used in successively compacted layers for surfacing roads and paths.How good a road is going to be depends on how the design is laid out initially vis-a-vis the layer of bitumen, macadam, coat of slurry seal or fog seal....
- The dense bitumen macadam surface, in the absence of any other dressing, tends to polish and became dangerous, particularly after rain.
- In the absence of surface dressing, dense bitumen macadam tends to polish and become dangerous.
Derivatives
macadamed
- We did lose the trail at one point, when we crossed over the one macadamed road.
- There is a macadamed road which turns right and heads up to a little parking area right of the road.
- There is a good macadamed road to the entrance of the village, where there is a meadow for children to play.
Origin
Early 19th century: named after John L. McAdam (1756–1836), the British surveyor who advocated using this material.