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Added 8 October 2026

steel

/stiːl/ noun

Categories: NatureThingsEveryday Words

In Latin: chalybs, aciarium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about steel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. An alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range.
  2. A cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard.
  3. Knife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod.

verb

  1. Get ready for something difficult or unpleasant.
  2. Cover, plate, or edge with steel.

Origin

From Middle English stele, stel, from Old English stīele, from Proto-West Germanic *stahlī (“something made of steel”), enlargement of *stahl (“steel”), from Proto-Germanic *stahlą, from *stah- or *stag- (“to be firm, rigid”), from Proto-Indo-European *stak- (“to stay, to be firm”). Compare Scots stele, Yola stehli, German Stahl, Dutch staal, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish stål.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: brandbladeswordnervemetallurgyalloymetallicironmetalferroussteelmakingsteelworks

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