ferrous

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈfɛrəs/ UK /ˈferəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
containing or relating to iron, especially in its divalent state

Ferrous metals are prone to rust.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · containing or relating to... ferric iron ferruginous

Word family

Related forms ferricferriteferruginous

Etymology

From Latin ferrum ('iron') + -ous; ferrum is of uncertain, possibly pre-Latin or Semitic, origin.

ferrum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ferrous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈfɛrəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈferəs/

## Meanings
1. containing or relating to iron, especially in its divalent state

## Examples
- Ferrous metals are prone to rust.

## Synonyms
- ferric
- iron
- ferruginous

## Related Forms
- ferric
- ferrite
- ferruginous

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ferrum

## Etymology
From Latin ferrum ('iron') + -ous; ferrum is of uncertain, possibly pre-Latin or Semitic, origin.

## AI Etymology
Ferrous comes from Latin ferrum ('iron') + -ous; ferrum is of uncertain, possibly pre-Latin or Semitic, origin. Morphologically, the account is both compositional and suffixal: -ous marks the visible structure by which the older base becomes the modern form. In present use, it is used as an adjective meaning "containing or relating to iron, especially in its divalent state", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as ferric, ferrite, and ferruginous, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin ferrum, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes ferric, iron, and ferruginous, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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