metal

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A hard, usually shiny material such as iron, gold, or copper that conducts heat and electricity.

   The bridge is made of steel and other strong metals.

2. 2
   adj

   Made of or containing metal.

   She drank from a metal cup.

3. 3
   noun

   A loud, heavy style of rock music with strong drums and distorted guitars.

   He loves going to metal concerts.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Metal ultimately comes from Greek metallon, meaning “mine,” “quarry,” or “metal.” Metal and mettle were once forms of the same word and could both denote either a material or a quality, but by the mid-18th century metal had become restricted to the material sense.

Etymology tree Ancient Greek μέτᾰλλον (métăllon)der. Latin metallum Old French metalbor. Middle English metal English metal From Middle English metal, a borrowing from Old French metal, from Latin metallum (“metal, mine, quarry, mineral”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary