enamel
Americannoun
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a glassy substance, usually opaque, applied by fusion to the surface of metal, pottery, etc., as an ornament or for protection.
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any of various varnishes, paints, coatings, etc., drying to a hard, glossy finish.
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any enamellike surface with a bright luster.
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an artistic work executed in enamel.
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Dentistry. the hard, glossy, calcareous covering of the crown of a tooth, containing only a slight amount of organic substance.
verb (used with object)
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enamels,
present (3rd person singular)
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enameled,
past participle, past
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enamelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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enameling,
present participle
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enamelling
present participle (especially British)
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to inlay or overlay with enamel.
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to form an enamellike surface upon.
to enamel cardboard.
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to decorate as with enamel; variegate with colors.
noun
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a coloured glassy substance, translucent or opaque, fused to the surface of articles made of metal, glass, etc, for ornament or protection
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an article or articles ornamented with enamel
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an enamel-like paint or varnish
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any smooth glossy coating resembling enamel
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another word for nail polish
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the hard white calcified substance that covers the crown of each tooth
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(modifier)
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decorated or covered with enamel
an enamel ring
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made with enamel
enamel paste
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verb
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to inlay, coat, or otherwise decorate with enamel
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to ornament with glossy variegated colours, as if with enamel
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to portray in enamel
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enamelernoun
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enamelistnoun
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enamellernoun
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enamelworknoun
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unenameledadjective
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unenamelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enamelsimple
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enamelssimple
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have enameledperfect
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have enamelledperfect
-
has enameledperfect
-
has enamelledperfect
-
am enamelingprogressive
-
am enamellingprogressive
-
are enamelingprogressive
-
are enamellingprogressive
-
is enamelingprogressive
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is enamellingprogressive
-
have been enamelingperfect progressive
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have been enamellingperfect progressive
-
has been enamelingperfect progressive
-
has been enamellingperfect progressive
Past
-
enameledsimple
-
enamelledsimple
-
had enameledperfect
-
had enamelledperfect
-
was enamelingprogressive
-
was enamellingprogressive
-
were enamelingprogressive
-
were enamellingprogressive
-
had been enamelingperfect progressive
-
had been enamellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enamel
1275–1325; Middle English enamelen < Anglo-French enameler, enamailler, equivalent to en- en- 1 + -amaler, derivative of asmal, esmal enamel, Old French esmail ( -al taken as the suffix -ail ) < Old Low Franconian *smalt- something melted, cognate with German Schmalz fat; akin to smelt 1; cf. smalto
Explanation
Enamel is the glossy, decorative coating that's applied to metal or pottery to make it prettier and sometimes sturdier. You might cook a casserole in your favorite pot, made of blue enamel. Enamel is used in all kinds of everyday objects, including the surface of washing machines, baking dishes, and some bath tubs. The enamel itself is made from melted powdered glass, which can easily be fused to metal and other surfaces. The outer part of your teeth is also known as enamel, and though sugar and other foods can decay it, your tooth enamel is actually the strongest, hardest substance in your body.
Vocabulary lists containing enamel
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I use a Copco enamel pot I got on eBay for rice and soups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
To make the measurement, Eagle and lead author Randy Flores used a dental drill to collect enamel from the fossil teeth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
All of this means much more time sifting through silica and wielding her tiny enamel brush.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Although it is the hardest tissue in the human body, enamel contains no living cells and cannot repair itself once it has been lost.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
We sat in her kitchen, sipping coffee from blue enamel tin cups.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
But unlike in most other synthetic enamels, the researchers encased the wires in a malleable metal-based coating.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 2, 2022
She painted it with 1 Shot-brand sign lettering enamels mixed with clear enamel and pearlescent powdered pigments.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 25, 2020
You can buy the enamels from Rust-Oleum for about $40 a can, by the way.
From US News ● Jul. 18, 2016
"Orange Crush," 9 feet tall, 15 feet wide and painted in garish, glossy enamels on a billboard-size metal panel, blows up to monumental scale a still from her high-definition video projection "Green Pink Caviar."
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2016
He was therefore inspired to erect a special shrine for his collection of enamels.
From The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton Volume II by Mrs. Russell Barrington
Upstairs, the exhibition highlights 19th-century innovations, including the introduction of colored porcelain in celadon, and enameled, painted and gilded pieces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2025
Celebrate the outsiders with this enameled stainless-steel camping mug, a collaboration between SODO’s Potluck Press and West Seattle’s Alair gift shop.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
And if your special someone is a super-fan of the visiting team, we’ve got you covered there too, with options that include Celtic-logo hoops and green enameled three-leaf clover studs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
For sale: The historic Decatur Lustron, a “space-age ranch” style home built in 1949 in Decatur, Georgia, from enameled steel panels supplied by a fighter plane factory.
From Washington Times ● May 18, 2023
The sky outside was so brightly blue it looked as though it had been enameled.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
At the top is an enamelled dove with outspread wings, which represents the Holy Ghost.
From Reuters ● May 5, 2023
With its tackiness enamelled in urbanity and its timbre attuned to the Tinder age, “Dating Around” is marvellously of the moment—a strong candidate for the sociocultural time capsule.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 14, 2019
Page is excited to point out that the table is a reflection of the design in the enamelled iron ceiling.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 8, 2018
More than 300 black finger posts and eight enamelled Theatreland street signs are being offered in a sealed bid auction which ends on Wednesday.
From BBC ● May 21, 2013
A superb enamelled chess-board, with pieces of jasper and crystal, stood at checkmate beside the bed.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Jeweler Holly Dyment's joyful black Labrador with encrusted diamond collar pendant is crafted in 18-karat rose gold and is made using a signature champlevé enameling technique.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2015
The award is accompanied by a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso that has been made unique by commemorative engraving and enameling.
From Forbes ● Aug. 30, 2014
The size-12 ring, which commemorates the Giants’ 20-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in 1991, has two football-shaped diamonds surrounded by “worn blue enameling framed by 17 smaller diamonds,” according to the auction house’s description.
From Washington Post ● May 17, 2012
The craft of enameling is more than 3,000 years old.
From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2009
In the silence her hands toyed listlessly with the enamel bonbonniere, whose silver had lost all its bright enameling, and was dinted and dulled till it looked no more than lead.
From Under Two Flags by Ouida
She also watched a demonstration of traditional enamelling and gilding by hand by master artisans before examining several pieces in closer detail.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2022
He sold his patent-rights in a bath-tub enamelling process.
From Time Magazine Archive
Alfred Meyer and Grandhomme are both accomplished and careful enamellers; the former is a painter enameller and the author of a book dealing technically with enamelling.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various
Theophilus, a monk of the 13th century, describes the process of enamelling as it was understood by the Byzantines of his time, which probably differed but little from earlier methods.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various
The end of the 15th century saw a development in enamelling which was not only remarkable, but revolutionary in its method.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
