enamel

[ ih-nam-uhl ]

/ ɪˈnæm əl /

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See synonyms for: enamel / enameled / enameling / enamelled on Thesaurus.com

noun

a glassy substance, usually opaque, applied by fusion to the surface of metal, pottery, etc., as an ornament or for protection.

enamelware.

any of various varnishes, paints, coatings, etc., drying to a hard, glossy finish.

any enamellike surface with a bright luster.

an artistic work executed in enamel.

Dentistry. the hard, glossy, calcareous covering of the crown of a tooth, containing only a slight amount of organic substance.

verb (used with object), e·nam·eled, e·nam·el·ing or (especially British) e·nam·elled, e·nam·el·ling.

to inlay or overlay with enamel.

to form an enamellike surface upon: to enamel cardboard.

to decorate as with enamel; variegate with colors.

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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 smelt¹; cf. smalto

OTHER WORDS FROM enamel

e·nam·el·er; especially British, e·nam·el·ler, noune·nam·el·ist; especially British, e·nam·el·list, noune·nam·el·work, nounun·e·nam·eled, adjective

un·e·nam·elled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enamel in a sentence

Their mix is specially engineered to expand and shrink with the pan as it goes from an oven to room temperature to keep the enamel from chipping.
How Cast Iron Pans Are Made by Hand at Borough Furnace|Eater Video|October 21, 2020|Eater
Read amled, as in Speght; of which enameled is a lengthened form, with the prefix en-.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
Carlino seated himself on a carpet of verdure enameled with daisies, and, taking his knife, cut one of the citrons.
Laboulaye's Fairy Book|Various
Did Armida possess any trinket in the form of a little enameled cross—like a miniature cross of cavaliere?
The Czar's Spy|William Le Queux

It was a hut or bower close to a small meadow enameled with flowers.
In Nesting Time|Olive Thorne Miller
The sink has two compartments—all enameled white—one for the washing of the dishes and one for the draining.
The American Country Girl|Martha Foote Crow

British Dictionary definitions for enamel

enamel

/ (ɪˈnæməl) /

noun

a coloured glassy substance, translucent or opaque, fused to the surface of articles made of metal, glass, etc, for ornament or protection

an article or articles ornamented with enamel

an enamel-like paint or varnish

any smooth glossy coating resembling enamel

another word for nail polish

the hard white calcified substance that covers the crown of each tooth

(modifier)

decorated or covered with enamelan enamel ring
made with enamelenamel paste

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled (tr)

to inlay, coat, or otherwise decorate with enamel

to ornament with glossy variegated colours, as if with enamel

to portray in enamel

Derived forms of enamel

enameller, enamellist, US enameler or enamelist, nounenamelwork, noun

Word Origin for enamel

C15: from Old French esmail, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German smalz lard; see smelt 1

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

Scientific definitions for enamel

enamel

[ ĭ-năm′əl ]

The hard, translucent substance covering the exposed portion of a tooth in mammals. Enamel is the hardest substance in the body, and consists mostly of calcium salts.

Cultural definitions for enamel

enamel

The hard, white substance that covers the crown of a tooth.

enamel

Origin of enamel

OTHER WORDS FROM enamel

Words related to enamel

How to use enamel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enamel

Derived forms of enamel

Word Origin for enamel

Scientific definitions for enamel

Cultural definitions for enamel