metal

1 of 2

noun

met·​al ˈme-tᵊl 

often attributive

1

: any of various opaque, fusible, ductile, and typically lustrous substances that are good conductors of electricity and heat, form cations by loss of electrons, and yield basic oxides and hydroxides

especially : one that is a chemical element as distinguished from an alloy

2

a

: mettle sense 1a

b

: the substance out of which a person or thing is made

3

: glass in its molten state

4

a

: printing type metal

b

: matter set in metal type

5

: road metal

6

: heavy metal sense 2

metal

2 of 2

verb

metaled or metalled; metaling or metalling

transitive verb

: to cover or furnish with metal

Examples of metal in a Sentence

Noun

a mixture of various kinds of metal

sculptors who work in metal and clay

a mixture of different metals

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Analysis of the site suggests the community buried its dead in the lake between 1040 and 780 B.C.E., then added metal jewelry like beads and pendants during later rituals. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024

This includes metals like cast iron, and stainless steel. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2024

Verb

The researchers adjusted the mixtures’ acidity and temperature to alter the charge of sugar molecules on the yeast organisms’ surfaces; particular metals are drawn to specific charges on the sugars, so this process controlled which metals the yeast attracted and bound. —Riis Williams, Scientific American, 14 May 2024

Masks, for instance, have metal nose clips, polypropylene filters and elastic headbands. —Charles Schmidt, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English metal, metall, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French metal, borrowed from Latin metallum "mine, quarry, substance obtained by mining, metal, mineral," borrowed from Greek métallon "mine, gallery of a mine, tunnel (in siege works)," from about the 1st century A.D. on also "metal, mineral," of uncertain origin

Note: A basic issue is the possible relation between the Greek noun and the verb metalláō "ask, inquire, question," attested since Homer. Métallon has been taken as a back-formation from this word, though etymologically the verb leads no further than the noun. (The explanation as from met' alla "[to look] for other things" is hardly convincing.) Perhaps more plausibly metalláō, along with métallon, has been taken as a technical term of miners, with a figurative sense taken up by epic poets and the original technical sense lost. R. Beekes (Etymological Dictionary of Greek) suggests a pre-Greek substratal origin, though -all- as a suffix—if that is the issue here—has a very restricted occurrence. The sense "metal," the only meaning carried into modern European languages, may be a back-formation from metalleúō "dig a mine or tunnel, get by mining."

Verb

derivative of metal entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1617, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing metal

• alkali metal
• alkaline earth metal
• bell metal
• Britannia metal
• death metal
• expanded metal
• heavy metal
• hot metal
• metal detector
• metal detectorist
• misch metal
• put the pedal to the metal
• road metal
• sheet metal
• transition metal
• white metal

Kids Definition

metal

noun

met·​al

ˈmet-ᵊl

1

: any of various substances (as gold, tin, or copper) that have a more or less shiny appearance, are good conductors of electricity and heat, can be melted, and are usually capable of being shaped

especially : one that is a chemical element rather than an alloy

2

: mettle sense 2

metal adjective

Medical Definition

metal

noun

met·​al ˈmet-ᵊl 

: any of various opaque, fusible, ductile, and typically lustrous substances that are good conductors of electricity and heat, form cations by loss of electrons, and yield basic oxides and hydroxides

especially : one that is a chemical element as distinguished from an alloy