New Delhi, July 6 -- The answer to today's Contexto (#1387) is CEMENT.

Hint 1: This substance is a fine grey powder that hardens into a rigid mass when mixed with water. It is one of the most widely produced materials on Earth.

Hint 2: It functions as both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to make something permanent, fixed, or unshakeable.

Hint 3: Portland is one of the most recognized varieties of this material, named not for the city in Oregon but for a type of limestone quarried on the Isle of Portland in England.

Contexto #1387 Answer:

CEMENT

The semantic field around CEMENT pulls in two directions. The construction cluster - concrete, mortar, grout, plaster, aggregate, binder, foundation, masonry - is the most direct rout...