metal

English Online Dictionary. What means metal‎? What does metal mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English metal, a borrowing from Old French metal, from Latin metallum (“metal, mine, quarry, mineral”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛtəl/, Rhymes: -ɛtəl
• Homophone: mettle
• Homophones: medal, meddle (in accents with flapping)

Noun

metal (countable and uncountable, plural metals)

1. (heading) Chemical elements or alloys, and the mines where their ores come from.
   1. Any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard, often a conductor of heat and electricity.
   2. Any material with similar physical properties, such as an alloy.
   3. (astronomy) An element which was not directly created after the Big Bang but instead formed through nuclear reactions; any element other than hydrogen and helium.
      • 2008, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Geochemical Society, Oxygen in the solar system, Mineralogical Society of Amer →ISBN

        Thus, for the remaining elements, including oxygen, the solid phase appears to be important. In fact, at a metallicity of Z=0.02, and with a gas-to-dust ratio of 100, about half of the metals — including oxygen — are contained in the solid phase.
   5. Crushed rock, stones etc. used to make a road.
   6. (mining) The ore from which a metal is derived.
   7. (obsolete) A mine from which ores are taken.
3. (heraldry) A light tincture used in a coat of arms, specifically argent (white or silver) and or (gold).

   Coordinate terms: colour, stain, fur

4. (glassblowing) Molten glass that is to be blown or moulded to form objects.
5. (music) A category of rock music encompassing a number of genres (including thrash metal, death metal, heavy metal, etc.) characterized by strong drum-beats and distorted guitars.
7. (figurative, archaic) The substance that constitutes something or someone; matter; hence, character or temper.

   Synonym: mettle
8. The effective power or calibre of guns carried by a vessel of war.
9. (UK, in the plural) The rails of a railway.
10. (informal, travel, aviation) The actual airline operating a flight, rather than any of the codeshare operators.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms”): nonmetal

Derived terms

Related terms

• metalling (noun)

Translations

Adjective

metal (comparative more metal, superlative most metal)

1. (music) Characterized by strong drum-beats and distorted guitars. [1970s and after]
2. Having the emotional or social characteristics associated with metal music; brash, bold, frank, unyielding, etc.

Related terms

• heavy metal

Verb

metal (third-person singular simple present metals, present participle metaling or metalling, simple past and past participle metaled or metalled)

1. To make a road using crushed rock, stones etc.

References

Albanian

Noun

metal m (definite metali)

1. (chemistry) metal

Further reading

• “metal”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006
• FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎^[3], 1980

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon).

Noun

metal m (plural metals)

1. metal

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “metal”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon).

Noun

metal m (plural metales)

1. metal

Breton

Noun

metal m (plural metaloù)

1. metal

Inflection

Catalan

Alternative forms

• heavy-metal

Etymology

Borrowed from English metal. Doublet of metall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈme.təl]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈme.tal]

Noun

metal m (uncountable)

1. (music) metal

Further reading

• “metal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɛtal]

Participle

metal

1. masculine singular past active participle of metat

Danish

Etymology

From Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “metal, mine”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /metal/, [meˈtˢal]

Noun

metal n (singular definite metallet, plural indefinite metaller)

1. metal

Inflection

Further reading

• “metal” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “metal” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English metal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ.təl/
• Hyphenation: me‧tal

Noun

metal m (uncountable)

1. (music) metal (rock genre)

   Synonym: heavy metal

Derived terms

• metalband

Related terms

• metaal

French

Alternative forms

• métal

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /me.tal/

Noun

metal m (uncountable)

1. metal (music style)

Derived terms

• metal chrétien

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɪˈtal/

Noun

metal m (plural metais)

1. metal

Further reading

• “metal”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English metal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ.tal/
• Rhymes: -ɛtal
• Hyphenation: mè‧tal

Noun

metal m (invariable)

1. (music) metal

   Synonym: heavy metal

Related terms

• metallaro

References

Anagrams

• malte

Middle English

Alternative forms

• matall, mataylle, metail, metaille, metall, metalle, metel, metell, metelle, mettall, mettel

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French metal, from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɛˈtaːl/, /ˈmɛtal/, /ˈmɛtəl/

Noun

metal (plural metalles)

1. metal (class of elements)
2. metalwork (metal item)
3. (mining) metal, ore
4. (heraldry, rare) metal (class of tinctures)

Descendants

• English: metal, mettle
• Scots: metal
• → Welsh: metel

References

• “metal, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle French

Noun

metal m (plural metaulx)

1. metal

Occitan

Alternative forms

• metau

Etymology

From Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon). Attested from the 12th century.

Pronunciation

Noun

metal m (plural metals)

1. metal

Related terms

• metallic
• metallurgia

References

Further reading

• Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎^[4], 2 edition, →ISBN, page 644.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin metallum, see above.

Noun

metal oblique singular, m (oblique plural metaus or metax or metals, nominative singular metaus or metax or metals, nominative plural metal)

1. metal (material)

Old Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed with apocope from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈtal/

Noun

metal m (plural metales)

1. metal
   • Idem, f. 21v.

Descendants

• Spanish: metal

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈtal/

Noun

metal m (plural metaj)

1. metal

Related terms

• metàlich

Polish

Etymology

Internationalism; compare English metal, French métal, German Metall, ultimately from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon). Sense 3 is a semantic loan from English metal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ.tal/
• Rhymes: -ɛtal
• Syllabification: me‧tal

Noun

metal m inan (related adjective metalowy)

1. (chemistry) metal (atomic element or material made of such atoms)

   Antonym: niemetal

2. (heraldry) metal (light tincture used in a coat of arms, specifically argent (white or silver) and or (gold))
4. metal (style of music)

Declension

Noun

metal m pers

1. (music, slang) metalhead, metaller, metallist (one who listens to heavy metal music)

   Synonyms: heavymetalowiec, metalowiec

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• metal in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• metal in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese metal, from Old Spanish metal, from Old Catalan metall, matall, from Latin metallum (“metal, mine, quarry, mineral”), from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: me‧tal

Noun

metal m (plural metais)

1. (chemistry) metal (any of a number of elements that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms)

   Antonyms: não-metal, ametal

2. metal (any of a number of a number of hard but malleable materials consisting of metallic atoms)
3. (poetic) money; wealth; riches

   Synonyms: riqueza, dinheiro

4. (heraldry) white (argent) or yellow (or) tincture on a coat of arms
5. (music, usually in the plural) brass instrument

Derived terms

Related terms

• metálico

Etymology 2

Unadapted borrowing from English metal.

Pronunciation

Noun

metal m (uncountable)

1. (music) metal; heavy metal

   Synonym: heavy metal

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French métal or German Metall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈtal/

Noun

metal n (plural metale)

1. metal

Declension

Related terms

• metalic

Further reading

• “metal”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mětaːl/
• Hyphenation: me‧tal

Noun

mètāl m (Cyrillic spelling мѐта̄л)

1. (chemistry) metal

   Synonym: kovina

Declension

Further reading

• “metal”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Slovene

Participle

métał

1. masculine singular l-participle of metáti

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish metal, from Old French métal or Old Occitan metall, these from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈtal/ [meˈt̪al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: me‧tal

Noun

metal m (plural metales)

1. metal
2. (heraldry) metal
3. (music) metal

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “metal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• mital — obsolete

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish metal, from Old Spanish metal, from Old French métal or Old Occitan metall, these from Latin metallum, from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /meˈtal/ [mɛˈt̪al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: me‧tal

Noun

metál (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜒᜆᜎ᜔)

1. metal

   Synonym: (rare) kansa

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Further reading

• “metal”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Turkish

Etymology

From French métal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /me.tal/

Noun

metal (definite accusative metali, plural metaller)

1. metal

Declension

Further reading

• “metal”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Ayverdi, İlhan (2010) “metal”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı

Turkmen

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: me‧tal

Noun

metal (definite accusative metaly, plural metallar)

1. metal

Declension

Further reading

• “metal” in Enedilim.com
• “metal” in Webonary.org