| English Dictionary |
STEEL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does steel mean?
• STEEL (noun)
The noun STEEL has 3 senses:
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
Familiarity information: STEEL used as a noun is uncommon.
• STEEL (verb)
The verb STEEL has 2 senses:
1. get ready for something difficult or unpleasant
2. cover, plate, or edge with steel
Familiarity information: STEEL used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
An alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
Classified under:
Nouns denoting substances
Hypernyms ("steel" is a kind of...):
alloy; metal (a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten)
Meronyms (substance of "steel"):
atomic number 26; Fe; iron (a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood)
pearlite (a lamellar mixture of cementite and ferrite formed during the cooling of austenite; a constituent of steel and cast iron)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "steel"):
structural steel (a strong steel that is rolled into shapes that are used in construction)
quenched steel (steel that has been hardened by immersing it in water or oil to cool it)
low-carbon steel; mild steel; soft-cast steel (steel with less than 0.15% carbon)
medium steel (steel with 0.15-0.3% carbon)
hard steel (steel with more than 0.3% carbon)
chisel steel (steel used in making chisels)
Damascus steel; Damask steel (a hard resilient steel often decorated and used for sword blades)
crucible steel (steel made by the mixture of molten wrought iron, charcoal, and other substances in a crucible)
carbon steel (steel whose characteristics are determined by the amount of carbon it contains)
case-hardened steel (steel with a surface that is much harder than the interior metal)
austenitic steel (steel that has enough nickel and chromium or manganese to retain austenite at atmospheric temperatures)
alloy steel (steel who characteristics are determined by the addition of other elements in addition to carbon)
Derivation:
steel (cover, plate, or edge with steel)
steely (resembling steel in hardness)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
Hypernyms ("steel" is a kind of...):
arm; weapon; weapon system (any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting)
Meronyms (parts of "steel"):
foible (the weaker part of a sword's blade from the forte to the tip)
forte (the stronger part of a sword blade between the hilt and the foible)
haft; helve (the handle of a weapon or tool)
hilt (the handle of a sword or dagger)
blade (the flat part of a tool or weapon that (usually) has a cutting edge)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "steel"):
broadsword (a sword with a broad blade and (usually) two cutting edges; used to cut rather than stab)
cavalry sword; saber; sabre (a stout sword with a curved blade and thick back)
cutlas; cutlass (a short heavy curved sword with one edge; formerly used by sailors)
falchion (a short broad slightly convex medieval sword with a sharp point)
fencing sword (a sword used in the sport of fencing)
rapier; tuck (a straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges)
backsword (a sword with only one cutting edge)
Instance hyponyms:
Excalibur (the legendary sword of King Arthur)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Knife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("steel" is a kind of...):
sharpener (any implement that is used to make something (an edge or a point) sharper)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it steels Past simple: steeled
Past participle: steeled
-ing form: steeling
Sense 1
Meaning:
Get ready for something difficult or unpleasant
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Synonyms:
nerve; steel
Hypernyms (to "steel" is one way to...):
brace; poise (prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 2
Meaning:
Cover, plate, or edge with steel
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "steel" is one way to...):
cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
steel (an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range)
Context examples
Graphene is invisible to the unaided eye, yet harder than diamonds, stronger than steel, and more conductive than copper.
(Graphene shield shows promise in blocking mosquito bites, National Institutes of Health)
His muscles were surcharged with vitality, and snapped into play sharply, like steel springs.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
Trelawney was as cool as steel.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
A mind like a steel trap.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
He has nerves of steel, and yet I know that he has hardly slept since this terrible event.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“Well, Cooky?” he began, with a suaveness that was cold and of the temper of steel.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
Even as he looked one of the archers drew his sword with a sharp whirr of steel and stept up to the lost man.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
In the mouse, this growth factor is encoded by Sl ('steel'), a gene critical to the development of several cell lineages as well as to hematopoiesis in the adult.
(Kit ligand, NCI Thesaurus)
I like this day; I like that sky of steel; I like the sternness and stillness of the world under this frost.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
He held the lamp close to them, indicating them with his toe for his employer's benefit—a steel dog-chain and a stout club.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." (Native American proverb, Cheyenne)
"The people's lord is their servant." (Arabic proverb)
"Think before acting and whilst acting still think." (Dutch proverb)