steel

[steel]

noun

1. any of various modified forms of iron, artificially produced, having a carbon content less than that of pig iron and more than that of wrought iron, and having qualities of hardness, elasticity, and strength varying according to composition and heat treatment: generally categorized as having a high, medium, or low-carbon content.

2. a thing or things made of this metal.

3. a flat strip of this metal used for stiffening, especially in corsets; stay.

4. a bar of this metal that has one end formed to hold a bit for driving through rock.

5. steels, stocks or bonds of companies producing this metal.

6. a sword.

7. a rounded rod of ridged steel, fitted with a handle and used especially for sharpening knives.

adjective

1. pertaining to or made of steel.

2. like steel in color, hardness, or strength.

verb (used with object)

1. to fit with steel, as by pointing, edging, or overlaying.

2. to cause to resemble steel in some way.

3. to render insensible, inflexible, unyielding, determined, etc..

   He steeled himself to perform the dangerous task.

Steel

¹

/ stiːl /

noun

1. Danielle, full name Danielle Fernande Schüelein-Steel. born 1950, US writer of romantic fiction

2. Baron David ( Martin Scott ). born 1938, British politician; leader of the Liberal Party (1976–88); Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament (1999–2003)

steel

²

/ stiːl /

noun

1. 1. any of various alloys based on iron containing carbon (usually 0.1–1.7 per cent) and often small quantities of other elements such as phosphorus, sulphur, manganese, chromium, and nickel. Steels exhibit a variety of properties, such as strength, machinability, malleability, etc, depending on their composition and the way they have been treated

   2. ( as modifier ) See also stainless steel

      steel girders

2. something that is made of steel

3. a steel stiffener in a corset, etc

4. a ridged steel rod with a handle used for sharpening knives

5. the quality of hardness, esp with regard to a person's character or attitudes

6. stock exchange the quotation for steel shares See also steels

7. (modifier) resembling steel

   steel determination

verb

1. to fit, plate, edge, or point with steel

2. to make hard and unfeeling

   he steeled his heart against her sorrow

   he steeled himself for the blow

steel

1. Any of various hard, strong, flexible alloys of iron and carbon. Often, other metals are added to give steel a particular property, such as chromium and nickel to make it stainless. Steel is widely used in many kinds of tools and as a structural material in building.

Other Word Forms

• steellike adjective
• presteel noun
• steeliness noun
• steely adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of steel¹

before 900; (noun) Middle English stele, Old English (north) stēle; cognate with Dutch staal, German Stahl, Old Norse stāl; (v.) Middle English stelen, Old English styled edged with steel, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of steel¹

Old English stēli; related to Old High German stehli, Middle Dutch stael

Idioms and Phrases

• mind like a steel trap

Example Sentences

Above ground it is a low-slung angular wisp of an object, whose cladding in mirrored steel deprives it of any sense of form or substance.

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The European Union’s top trade officials are proposing a 50% tariff on steel imports above a certain quota as the bloc moves to shield its struggling sector from overcapacity.

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In the chaos, Andrew Carnegie began acquiring companies that would form Carnegie Steel, which made the steel for the nation’s rail system.

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Ford switched the F-150’s exterior to aluminum from steel a decade ago.

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The challenge of steeling Taiwan against a blockade starts with energy, in particular the liquefied natural gas used to generate nearly half of Taiwan’s electricity.

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Related Words

• brace 
• fortify 
• gird