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met·al (m t l)n.1. Abbr. M Any of a category of electropositive elements that usually have a shiny surface, are generally good conductors of heat and electricity, and can be melted or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wires. Typical metals form salts with nonmetals, basic oxides with oxygen, and alloys with one another. 2. An alloy of two or more metallic elements. 3. An object made of metal. 4. Basic character; mettle. 5. Broken stones used for road surfaces or railroad beds. 6. Molten glass, especially when used in glassmaking. 7. Molten cast iron. 8. Printing Type made of metal. 9. Music Heavy metal. tr.v. met·aled also met·alled, met·al·ing also met·al·ling, met·als also met·als To cover or surface (a roadbed, for example) with broken stones.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin metallum, from Greek metallon, mine, ore, metal.] Word History: In modern English, metal and mettle are pronounced the same, and they are in fact all related. Middle English borrowed metal from Old French in the 14th century; Old French metal, metail, came from Latin metallum, from Greek metallon, "mine, quarry, ore, metal." By the 16th century, metal had also come to mean "the stuff one is made of, one's character," but there was no difference in spelling between the literal and figurative senses until about 1700, when the spelling mettle, originally just a variant of metal, was fixed for the sense "fortitude." The history of English has numerous examples of pairs of words, like metal and mettle, that are (historically speaking) spelling variants of the same word; two other such pairs are trump/triumph and through/thorough. |
metal Noun 1. a. Chem a chemical element, such as iron or copper, that reflects light and can be shaped, forms positive ions, and is a good conductor of heat and electricity b. an alloy, such as brass or steel, containing one or more of these elements 4. metals the rails of a railway Adjective made of metal [Greek metallon mine]
metal (mtl)1. Any of a large group of chemical elements, including iron, gold, copper, lead, and magnesium, that readily become cations and form ionic bonds, having relatively free valence electrons (electrons in the outer shells). Metals are generally good conductors of electricity because of the freedom of their valence electrons. Metals generally conduct heat well, and in solid form are relatively malleable and ductile compared to other solids. They are usually shiny and opaque. All metals except mercury are solid at room temperature. 2. An alloy, such as steel or bronze, made of two or more metals. 3. In astronomy, any atom except hydrogen and helium. 4. Small stones or gravel, mixed with tar to form tarmac for the surfacing of roads. Usage Most metallic elements are lustrous or colorful solids that are good conductors of heat and electricity, and readily form ionic bonds with other elements. Many of their properties are due to the fact that their outermost electrons, called valence electrons, are not tightly bound to the nucleus. For instance, most metals form ionic bonds easily because they readily give up valence electrons to other atoms, thereby becoming positive ions (cations). The electrical conductivity of metals also stems from the relative freedom of valence electrons. In a substance composed of metals, the atoms are in a virtual "sea" of valence electrons that readily jump from atom to atom in the presence of an electric potential, creating electric current. With the exception of hydrogen, which behaves like a metal only at very high pressures, the elements that appear in the left-hand column of the Periodic Table are called alkali metals. Alkali metals, such as sodium and potassium, have only one electron in their outermost shell, and are chemically very reactive. (Hydrogen is exceptional in that, although it is highly reactive, its other metallic properties are manifest only at very high pressures.) Metals farther toward the right side of the Periodic Table, such as tin and lead, have more electrons in their outermost shell, and are not as reactive. The somewhat reactive elements that fall between the two extremes are the transition elements, such as iron, copper, tungsten, and silver. In most atoms, inner electron shells must be maximally occupied by electrons before an outer shell will accept electrons, but many transition elements have electron gaps in the shell just inside the valence shell. This configuration leads to a wide variety of available energy levels for electrons to move about in, so in the presence of electromagnetic radiation such as light, a variety of frequencies are readily emitted or absorbed. Thus transition metals tend to be very colorful, and each contributes different colors to different compounds. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  metal - any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.heavy metal - a metal of relatively high density (specific gravity greater than about 5) or of high relative atomic weight (especially one that is poisonous like mercury or lead) base metal - a metal that is common and not considered precious; "lead, iron, copper, tin, and zinc are base metals" chemical element, element - any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter noble metal - any metal that is resistant to corrosion or oxidation antimony, atomic number 51, Sb - a metallic element having four allotropic forms; used in a wide variety of alloys; found in stibnite atomic number 83, Bi, bismuth - a heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically); usually recovered as a by-product from ores of other metals atomic number 48, cadmium, Cd - a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores atomic number 20, Ca, calcium - a white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light; the fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust; an important component of most plants and animals atomic number 58, Ce, cerium - a ductile grey metallic element of the lanthanide series; used in lighter flints; the most abundant of the rare-earth group atomic number 55, caesium, cesium, Cs - a soft silver-white ductile metallic element (liquid at normal temperatures); the most electropositive and alkaline metal atomic number 27, cobalt, Co - a hard ferromagnetic silver-white bivalent or trivalent metallic element; a trace element in plant and animal nutrition atomic number 29, copper, Cu - a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor atomic number 96, curium, Cm - a radioactive transuranic metallic element; produced by bombarding plutonium with helium nuclei atomic number 87, Fr, francium - a radioactive element of the alkali-metal group discovered as a disintegration product of actinium atomic number 31, gallium, Ga - a rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element; brittle at low temperatures but liquid above room temperature; occurs in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores atomic number 72, hafnium, Hf - a grey tetravalent metallic element that resembles zirconium chemically and is found in zirconium minerals; used in filaments for its ready emission of electrons | | 2. |  metal - a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten; "brass is an alloy of zinc and copper"mixture - (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding) heavy metal - a metal of relatively high density (specific gravity greater than about 5) or of high relative atomic weight (especially one that is poisonous like mercury or lead) oreide, oroide - alloy of copper and tin and zinc; used in imitation gold jewelry Alnico - trade name for an alloy used to make high-energy permanent magnets; contains aluminum and iron and nickel plus cobalt or copper or titanium amalgam, dental amalgam - an alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth; except for iron and platinum all metals dissolve in mercury and chemists refer to the resulting mercury mixtures as amalgams fusible metal - an alloy with a low melting point and used as solder and in safety plugs and sprinkler fuses pewter - any of various alloys of tin with small amounts of other metals (especially lead) pinchbeck - an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in cheap jewelry to imitate gold pot metal - an alloy of copper and lead used especially for making large pots solder - an alloy (usually of lead and tin) used when melted to join two metal surfaces white gold - a pale alloy of gold usually with platinum or nickel or palladium type metal - an alloy of tin and lead and antimony used to make printing type babbitt, Babbitt metal - an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction Carboloy - an alloy based on tungsten with cobalt or nickel as a binder; used in making metal-cutting tools steel - an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range cheoplastic metal - any alloy that fuses at low temperatures and can be used molding artificial teeth Inconel - a nickel-base alloy with chromium and iron; used in gas-turbine blades Invar - an alloy of iron and nickel having a low coefficient of thermal expansion; used in tuning forks and measuring tapes and other instruments pyrophoric alloy - an alloy that emits sparks when struck or scratched with steel; used in lighter flints shot metal - an alloy that is 98% lead and 2% arsenic; used in making small shot primary solid solution, solid solution - a homogeneous solid that can exist over a range of component chemicals; a constituent of alloys that is formed when atoms of an element are incorporated into the crystals of a metal Stellite - a very hard alloy of cobalt and chromium with cobalt as the principal ingredient; used to make cutting tools and for surfaces subject to heavy wear tambac, tombac, tombak - an alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding Wood's alloy, Wood's metal - a fusible alloy that is half bismuth plus lead, tin, and cadmium; melts at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit | | Verb | 1. | metal - cover with metalcoat, surface - put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface; "coat the cake with chocolate" | | Adj. | 1. | metal - containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal; "a metallic compound"; "metallic luster"; "the strange metallic note of the meadow lark, suggesting the clash of vibrant blades"- Ambrose Biercenonmetal, nonmetallic - not containing or resembling or characteristic of a metal; "nonmetallic elements" |
 Translationsmetal [ˈmɛtl] n → metal m metal [ˈmɛtl] n → métal m metal [ˈmɛtl] n → metallovt → massicciare
metaln / adj metal [ˈmetl]1 (of) any of a group of substances, usually shiny, that can conduct heat and electricity and can be hammered into shape, or drawn out in sheets, bars etc Gold, silver and iron are all metals.metaalفِلِز، فِلِزّي، مَعْدَنيметалkov; kovovýmetaldas Metallμέταλλοmetalmetallفلزmetalli(de/en) métalמַתֶכֶתधातुmetal, kovinafémlogammálmurmetallo; di/in metallo金属금속metalasmetālslogammetaalmetallstopmetal(de/din) metalметаллkov; kovovýkovinametalmetallโลหะmetal, maden金屬(的)металدھاتkim loại金属 2 (of) a combination of more than one of such substances Brass is a metal made from copper and zinc.metaalمَعْدَنсплавkovmetaldie Metalllegierungμέταλλοmetalmetallالیاژmetallimétalמַתֶכֶתधातु, धातु-तत्वslitinafémlogam campuranmálmblandametallo合金합금metalasmetālkausējumslogam campuranmetaalmetall(legering)metalmetalmetalметалл;сплавkovkovinametalmetallblandning, legeringโลหะผสมalaşım合金(的)металدھاتوں کا مرکب بھرتhợp kim合金 adj meˈtallic [-ˈtӕ-]1 made of metal a metallic element.metaalagtigمَعْدَني، فِلِزّيметаленkovovýmetallisk; metal-metallenμεταλλικόςmetálicometall-فلزیmetallinenmétalliqueמַתַכתִיधातु जैसाmetalanfémesdari logammálm-; úr málmimetallico金属の금속(질)의metalometālisks, metāla-diperbuat dari logammetalenmetall-, metalliskmetalowymetálicometalicметаллическийkovovýkovinskimetalnimetall-ซึ่งประกอบด้วยโลหะmetalik, madenî金屬制的металічнийدھات کا بناbằng kim loại金属制的 2 like a metal (eg in appearance or sound) metallic blue; a metallic noise.metaalagtigمَعْدَني، كالمَعْدَنметалоподобенkovovýmetalagtig; metalliskmetallischμεταλλικόςmetálicometalneبراقmetallinenmétalliqueמַתַכתִי, מֶטָלִיधातु का, धात्विकmetalanfémes, érc-; ércesseperti logammálmkenndurmetallico金属性の금속성의kaip metalas, metalinismetālisks, metālam līdzīgsseperti logammetaalachtigmetallaktigmetalicznymetálicometalicметаллическийkovovýkovinskimetalnimetalliskซึ่งเหมือนโลหะmetalik, madenî象金屬的металевийدھات کی طرحgiống kim loại象金属的
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