high speed steel

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: hīʹspēd stēl'

Noun

high speed steel (uncountable)

1. Abbreviated HSS. A kind of tool steel, invented in the early 20th century, which retains its hardness and temper at high temperatures (at which previous kinds of tool steel would soften), thus allowing cutters made from it to be employed at higher cutting speeds than were previously practical.