bronze

[bronz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bronze ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Metallurgy.

any of various alloys consisting essentially of copper and tin, the tin content not exceeding 11 percent.
any of various other alloys having a large copper content.

a metallic brownish color.

a work of art, as a statue, statuette, bust, or medal, composed of bronze.

Numismatics. a coin made of bronze, especially one from the Roman Empire.

verb (used with object), bronzed, bronz·ing.

to give the appearance or color of bronze to.

to make brown, as by exposure to the sun: The sun bronzed his face.

Printing.

to apply a fine metallic powder to (the ink of a printed surface) in order to create a glossy effect.
to apply a fine metallic powder to (areas of a reproduction proof on acetate) in order to increase opacity.

adjective

having the color bronze.

Origin of bronze

1730–40; < French < Italian, of obscure origin

Related formsbronz·y, bronze·like, adjectivepre·bronze, adjectivequa·si-bronze, adjectiveun·bronzed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bronze

tan, rust, chestnut, copper, burnished, russet, brownish

Examples from the Web for bronze

Contemporary Examples of bronze

There was deep brown flesh, and bronze flesh, and pallid white flesh, and flesh turned red from the hot sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’
Asawin Suebsaeng
January 7, 2015
The quote appears on the bronze plaque the players touch before they take the field for home games.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down
Nicolaus Mills
December 13, 2014
A platinum plan pays 90 percent of costs; gold plans pay 80 percent; silver plans pay 70 percent; bronze pay 60 percent.
Think You’re Invincible? Here’s Why Open Enrollment Matters
DailyBurn
November 16, 2014
Once dried, a liquid, such as plaster, wax, or bronze, is poured in for a perfect representation of the face.
The Ukrainian Face Collector Launches an Exhibition in Kiev
Nina Strochlic
August 21, 2014
The difference in premiums between a catastrophic plan and “bronze” plan is substantial.
With More Competition and Choice, Obamacare Might Not Be So Horrible
Nick Gillespie
May 12, 2014

Historical Examples of bronze

There were bronze chariots with horses of bronze to draw them and men of bronze to hold the reins.
Buried Cities, Part 2
Jennie Hall
Bronze lampholder: Five lamps hung from the branches of this bronze tree.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
Felix, in gratitude, had this portrait of his master cast in bronze.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
Then the artist took a separate sheet of bronze for his design.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
These piles were stems, or trunks of trees, sharpened with stone or bronze tools.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield

British Dictionary definitions for bronze

bronze

noun

any hard water-resistant alloy consisting of copper and smaller proportions of tin and sometimes zinc and lead
any similar copper alloy containing other elements in place of tin, such as aluminium bronze, beryllium bronze, etcSee also phosphor bronze, gunmetal Compare brass (def. 1)

a yellowish-brown colour or pigment

a statue, medal, or other object made of bronze

short for bronze medal

adjective

made of or resembling bronze

of a yellowish-brown coloura bronze skin

verb

(esp of the skin) to make or become brown; tan

(tr) to give the appearance of bronze to

Derived Formsbronzy, adjective

Word Origin for bronze

C18: from French, from Italian bronzo, perhaps ultimately from Latin Brundisium Brindisi, famed for its bronze

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

Word Origin and History for bronze

1721, "alloy of copper and tin," from French bronze, from Italian bronzo, from Medieval Latin bronzium. Perhaps cognate (via notion of color) with Venetian bronza "glowing coals," or German brunst "fire." Perhaps influenced by Latin Brundisium the Italian town of Brindisi (Pliny writes of aes Brundusinum). Perhaps ultimately from Persian birinj "copper."

In Middle English, the distinction between bronze (copper-tin alloy) and brass (copper-zinc alloy) was not clear, and both were called bras. A bronze medal was given to a third-place finisher since at least 1852. The archaeological Bronze Age (1865) falls between the Stone and Iron ages, and is a reference to the principal material for making weapons and ornaments.

1640s, literally, 1726 figuratively, from French bronzer (16c.) or else from bronze (n.). Related: Bronzed; bronzing. Meaning "to make to be bronze in color" is from 1792.

bronze in Science

bronze

[brŏnz]

A yellow or brown alloy of copper and tin, sometimes with small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. Bronze is harder than brass and is used both in industry and in art.

An alloy of copper and certain metals other than tin, such as aluminum.