means A hard, paved surface for walking or driving on — in British use the footpath beside a road, in American use the road's paved surface itself.

from From Latin 'pavimentum,' a floor beaten or rammed firm, from the verb 'pavire,' to beat or tread down. It came into English through Old French 'pavement.' The root idea is physical: a surface compacted underfoot until it holds — which is also the family root of 'pave' and 'paving.'