iron
UK /ˈaɪ.ən/ · US /ˈaɪ.ɚn/ noun, adjective, verb, proper noun
- noun (uncountable) A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe. “Today we studied about metals — including iron — at school.”
- noun (uncountable, countable, metallurgy) Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron.
- noun (countable) A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus.
- noun Any of several other tools traditionally made of wrought iron, now usually of steel.
- noun (usually in the plural, irons) Shackles.
- noun (slang) A firearm, either a long gun or a handgun. “It's many niggas now totin' iron.”
- noun (uncountable) A dark shade of the color silver.
- noun (countable, Cockney rhyming slang, offensive, shortened from iron hoof, rhyming with poof) A male homosexual.
- adjective (not comparable) Made of the metal iron.
- adjective (figuratively) Strong (as of will), inflexible. “She had an iron will.”
- verb (transitive) To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases. “You'd be wise to iron that shirt before you wear it.”
- verb (intransitive) To engage in such pressing of clothing. “They were washing and ironing all morning.”
- verb (transitive, archaic) To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.
- verb (transitive) To furnish, clad, or arm with iron. “to iron a wagon”
- proper noun The 57th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
- proper noun A group of Ossetians of the northern Caucasus who speak the Iron Ossetian dialect.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the Iron people.
Synonyms
ferrum clothes iron flatiron smoothing iron shooting iron poof queer adamant adamantine brassbound press Fe atomic number 26 branding iron iron out cast-iron
Etymology
From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”).
Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Alemannic German Ise (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”).
Translation of the Arabic حديد (ḥadīd, “iron”).
From Ossetian Ирон (Iron), a derivation (with the adjective suffix Ossetian -он (-on) from the historical genitive plural Proto-Indo-Iranian *-ānaHam) of Ossetian Ир (Ir). Ossetian Ир (Ir) probably reflexes Proto-Indo-Iranian *wiHrás. Because the Digoron ethnonym for the Ir is Ossetian Ирӕ (Iræ), Cheung (2002) has suggested a derivation from the plural Proto-Indo-Iranian *wiHrā́s. Ossetian Ирон (Iron) is unrelated to Iran despite the superficial similarity in form. Borrowed into the Vainakh languages (and some Dagestani languages) as their exonym for the Ossetes, cf. Chechen Хӏири (Hiri), Ingush Хӏире (Hire).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The most common and most useful metallic element, being of almost universal occurrence, usually in the form of an oxide (as hematite, magnetite, etc.), or a hydrous oxide (as limonite, turgite, etc.). It is reduced on an enormous scale in three principal forms; viz., cast iron, steel, and wrought iron. Iron usually appears dark brown, from oxidation or impurity, but when pure, or an fresh surface, is a gray or white metal. It is easily oxidized (rusted) by moisture, and is attacked by many corrosive agents. Symbol Fe (Latin Ferrum). Atomic weight 55.9. Specific gravity, pure iron, 7.86; cast i
- noun An instrument or utensil made of iron; --chiefly in composition; as, a flatiron, a smoothing iron, etc. My young soldier, put up your iron. Shak.
- adjective Of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar, dust.
- adjective Resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.
Etymology [OE. iren, AS. iren, isen, isern; akin to D. ijzer, OS. isarn, OHG. isarn, isan, G. eisen, Icel. isarn, jarn, Sw. & Dan. jern, and perh. to E. ice; cf. Ir. iarann, W. haiarn, Armor. houarn.]
Etymology [AS. iren, isen. See Iron, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “iron”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details