noun / adjective / verb
steel
STEEL/stiːl/
A strong iron-carbon alloy.
The cut steel beam rests beside ribbed reinforcing bars of the same alloy.
Etymology
Old English style already named steel. A proposed connection in its deeper ancestry with “standing firm” suggests that the name may evoke the metal’s hardness.
In context
Steel is an alloy of iron, that is, it's a mixture of iron and carbon
More examples
- She sets a steel pan on the stove.
- Stainless steel resists rust in damp conditions.
- He steels himself before delivering the bad news.
Forms
steel · steels · steeled · steeling
steely adjective — Hard, cold, or determined like steel.
Similar words
- iron
- The base metal in steel, rather than the finished alloy.
- stainless steel
- A type of steel containing chromium that helps resist rust.