metal

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See also: Metal, métal, and metál

English[edit]

Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English, from Old French metal (“metal”), from Latin metallum (“metal, mine, quarry, mineral”), from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”), from μέταλλευειν (métalleuein, “to mine, quarry”), of unknown origin, but apparently related to μέταλλαν (métallan, “to seek after”), also of unknown origin.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal (countable and uncountable, plural metals)

  1. (heading) Chemical elements or alloys, and the mines where their ores come from.
    1. Any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard, often a conductor of heat and electricity.
      • 2014 April 21, “Subtle effects”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8884:
        Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated.
    2. Any material with similar physical properties, such as an alloy.
      • 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapter1:
        But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window […].
    3. (astronomy) An element which was not directly created after the Big Bang but instead formed through nuclear reactions; any element other than hydrogen and helium.
      • 2003, Michael A. Seeds, Astronomy: The Solar System and Beyond, Thomson Brooks/Cole ISBN 9780534395377
        Most of the matter in stars is hydrogen and helium, and the metals (including carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and so on) were cooked up inside stars.
      • 2008, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Geochemical Society, Oxygen in the solar system, Mineralogical Society of Amer ISBN 9780939950805
        Thus, for the remaining elements, including oxygen, the solid phase appears to be important. In fact, at a metallicity of Z=0.02, and with a gas-to-dust ratio of 100, about half of the metals — including oxygen — are contained in the solid phase.
      • 2015, Alan Longstaff, Astrobiology: An Introduction, CRC Press ISBN 9781498728454, page 350
        Metals include oxygen and carbon which means that water and organic molecules would have been abundant in the early universe, perhaps paving the way for the emergence of life within a couple of billion years of the Big Bang.
    4. Crushed rock, stones etc. used to make a road.
    5. (mining) The ore from which a metal is derived.
      (Can we find and add a quotation of Raymond to this entry?)
    6. (obsolete) A mine from which ores are taken.
      • Jeremy Taylor (1613–1677)
        slaves […] and persons condemned to metals
  2. (heraldry) A light tincture used in a coat of arms, specifically argent and or.
  3. Molten glass that is to be blown or moulded to form objects.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)
  4. (music) A category of rock music encompassing a number of genres (including thrash metal, death metal, heavy metal, etc.) characterized by strong drum-beats and distorted guitars.
  5. (archaic) The substance that constitutes something or someone; matter; hence, character or temper; mettle.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2 Scene 1:
      LEONATO. Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband.
      BEATRICE. Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be over-mastered with a piece of valiant dust?
  6. The effective power or calibre of guns carried by a vessel of war.
  7. (Britain, obsolete, in the plural) The rails of a railway.
  8. (informal, travel, aviation) The actual airline operating a flight, rather than any of the codeshare operators.
    We have American Airlines tickets, but it's on British Airways metal.

Antonyms[edit]

  • (any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms): nonmetal

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from metal

Translations[edit]

Adjective[edit]

metal (comparative more metal, superlative most metal)

  1. (music) Characterized by strong drum-beats and distorted guitars. [1970s and after]
  2. Having the emotional or social characteristics associated with metal music; brash, bold, frank, unyielding, etc.

Related terms[edit]

Verb[edit]

metal (third-person singular simple present metals, present participle metalling, simple past and past participle metalled)

  1. To make a road using crushed rock, stones etc.

Asturian[edit]

Asturian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ast

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metales)

  1. metal

Breton[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metaloù)

  1. metal

Inflection[edit]

  Mutation of metal  
Breton consonant mutation
unmutated soft aspirate hard mixed
singular metal vetal unchanged unchanged vetal
plural metaloù vetaloù unchanged unchanged vetaloù

Catalan[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metals)

  1. metal

Danish[edit]

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology[edit]

From Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “metal, mine”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /metal/, [meˈtˢal]

Noun[edit]

metal n (singular definite metallet, plural indefinite metaller)

  1. metal

Inflection[edit]

Declension of metal
neuter
gender		 Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative metal metallet metaller metallerne
genitive metals metallets metallers metallernes

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

English

Noun[edit]

metal m (invariable)

  1. (music) metal

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Middle French[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metaulx)

  1. metal

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Latin metallum, see above

Noun[edit]

metal m (oblique plural metaus or metax or metals, nominative singular metaus or metax or metals, nominative plural metal)

  1. metal (material)

Old Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed by apocope from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metales)

  1. metal
    • c. 1250: Alfonso X, Lapidario, 2r.
      Et es grand marauilla que el fierro que uence todos los otros metales por fortaleza que a en ſi uence lo eſta piedra por ſu ṕṕedat.
      And it is a great marvel that iron, which defats all other metals due to the strength it has, is defeated by this stone due to its property.
    • Idem, f. 21v.
      Et otroſſi ſi lo mezclan con eſtanno torna negro. ¬ ſi con plata lo mezclan recibe la blancura della ¬ aſſi faz con cada metal.
      And also, if they mix it with tin it becomes black, and if they mix it with silver it receives whiteness from it, and likewise with every metal.

Descendants[edit]

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin metallum

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal m inan

  1. metal
  2. (heraldry) metal

Declension[edit]

declension of metal
singular plural
nominative metal metale
genitive metalu metali
dative metalowi metalom
accusative metal metale
instrumental metalem metalami
locative metalu metalach
vocative metalu metale

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Portuguese metal, from Old Spanish metal, from Catalan metall, from Latin metallum (“metal, mine, quarry, mineral”), from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”), from μέταλλευειν (métalleuein, “to mine, quarry”), of unknown origin.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metais)

  1. metal

Romanian[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal n

  1. metal

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /mětaːl/
  • Hyphenation: me‧tal

Noun[edit]

mètāl m (Cyrillic spelling мѐта̄л)

  1. (chemistry) metal

Declension[edit]

Declension of metal
singular plural
nominative mètāl metali
genitive metála metala
dative metalu metalima
accusative metal metale
vocative metale metali
locative metalu metalima
instrumental metalom metalima

Spanish[edit]

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Etymology[edit]

French métal or Catalan metall, these from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Noun[edit]

metal m (plural metales)

  1. metal
  2. (heraldry) metal
  3. (music) metal

Related terms[edit]

Turkish[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal (definite accusative {{{1}}}, plural {{{2}}})

  1. metal

Turkmen[edit]

Noun[edit]

metal (definite accusative ?, plural ?)

  1. metal
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