base metal

Save This Word!

See synonyms for base metal on Thesaurus.com

noun

any metal other than a precious or noble metal, as copper, lead, zinc, or tin.Compare noble metal, precious metal.

the principal metal of an alloy.

the principal metal of a piece underlying a coating of another metal; core.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby base metal

baseman, base map, basement, basement complex, basement membrane, base metal, baseness, Basenji, base on balls, base pair, base-pairing

How to use base metal in a sentence

Based on the rest of the notebook’s contents, they believed the ciphertext contained a recipe for the fabled Philosophers’ Stone—an elixir that supposedly prolongs the owner’s life and grants the ability to produce gold from base metals.
Deciphering the Philosophers’ Stone: How Scientists Cracked a 400-Year-Old Alchemical Cipher|Richard Bean|October 28, 2021|Singularity Hub
He 'sophisticated' it, as the parliamentary documents call it—that is, he used base metal instead of bullion.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 440|Various
A pair of scales for weighing ore and buttons of base metal.
The A B C of Mining|Charles A. Bramble
Base metal though it were, it seemed pure gold to his listeners.
The Red Mouse|William Hamilton Osborne

"But all these watches are of base metal, and I want one of good gold and handsome finish," observed my grandmother.
The Chainbearer|J. Fenimore Cooper
The gold in their nature is now so mixed with base metal that in any great trial the coin would sooner break than bend.
Chaucer for Children|Mrs. H. R. Haweis

British Dictionary definitions for base metal

base metal

noun

any of certain common metals such as copper, lead, zinc, and tin, as distinct from the precious metals, gold, silver, and platinum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

base metal

Words nearby base metal

Words related to base metal

How to use base metal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for base metal