freestone n : fruit (especially peach) whose flesh does not adhere to the pit

English

Pronunciation

• italbrac RP /ˈfriːstəʊn/
• italbrac US /ˈfriːstoʊn/

Adjective

1. Of or pertaining to fruit, especially peaches, with a stone that easily detaches itself from the fruit.

Antonyms

• cling

A freestone is a stone used in architecture for molding, tracery and other work required to be worked with the chisel. The stone must be fine-grained, uniform and soft enough to be cut easily without shattering or splitting. Some sources say that the stone has no grain, but this is incorrect. Oolitic stones are generally used, although in some countries soft sandstones are used; in some churches an indurated chalk called clunch is employed for internal lining and for carving. Some believe that freemason originally meant one who is capable of carving freestone.

Freestone is also a family name, the origins of which date back to lace makers in the middlelands in England in the 1700's.

See also

• Hummelstown brownstone