The word ‘asphalt’ comes from an ancient Middle English term that means ‘pitch’. Middle English borrowed this word from French, where it originally referred to “bitumen-soaked limestone deposits.” Today, the modern term ‘asphalt’ refers to the mixture of mineral aggregate and asphalt/bitumen that makes many of the roads in the world. This has been the case since the early 1920’s. Asphalt is ideal for road construction because it is relatively inexpensive to produce, is extremely durable, and is easy to repair.