gunmetal

or gun met·al

[ guhn-met-l ]

/ ˈgʌnˌmɛt l /

noun

any of various alloys or metallic substances with a dark gray or blackish color or finish, used for chains, belt buckles, etc.

Also called gunmetal gray. a dark gray with bluish or purplish tinge.

a bronze formerly much used for cannon.

an alloy of 88 percent copper, 10 percent tin, and 2 percent zinc, cast or machined for use in valves, gears, and other parts.

Nearby words

gunk hole, gunky, gunlock, gunmaker, gunman, gunmetal, gunn, gunn effect, gunn's dot, gunn's sign, gunnar

Origin of gunmetal

First recorded in 1535–45; gun¹ + metal

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

Examples from the Web for gunmetal

The procession stretched for miles beneath a warm drizzle and a gunmetal gray sky.
Salute to a Noble Marine|Mike Barnicle|August 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The cellar was empty except for a large wooden tun or cask which reached almost to the ceiling, and a gunmetal hand pump.
The Pit Prop Syndicate|Freeman Wills Crofts
In Fig. 36, a, a is the body of the apparatus, partly of gunmetal and partly of wood.
Artificial and Natural Flight|Hiram S. Maxim
The boat chocks are provided with gunmetal wheels, which run in transverse tracks sunk in the deck.
An Unsinkable Titanic|John Bernard Walker

The gyroscope is contained in a gunmetal case, and is driven by a jet of steam entering through the trunnions.
Artificial and Natural Flight|Hiram S. Maxim
The whole should be of gunmetal, and, if the pipes to be used be of iron, screwed at the end.
The Turkish Bath|Robert Owen Allsop

British Dictionary definitions for gunmetal

gunmetal

/ (ˈɡʌnˌmɛtəl) /

noun

a type of bronze containing copper (88 per cent), tin (8–10 per cent), and zinc (2–4 per cent): used for parts that are subject to wear or to corrosion, esp by sea water

any of various dark grey metals used for toys, belt buckles, etc

a dark grey colour with a purplish or bluish tinge
(as adjective)gunmetal chiffon

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