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gunmetal

or gun met·al

[guhn-met-l]
noun
  1. any of various alloys or metallic substances with a dark gray or blackish color or finish, used for chains, belt buckles, etc.
  2. Also called gunmetal gray. a dark gray with bluish or purplish tinge.
  3. a bronze formerly much used for cannon.
  4. an alloy of 88 percent copper, 10 percent tin, and 2 percent zinc, cast or machined for use in valves, gears, and other parts.
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Origin of gunmetal

First recorded in 1535–45; gun1 + metal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gunmetal

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Felix took from an inner pocket of his coat a gunmetal cigarcase.

  • In Fig. 36, a, a is the body of the apparatus, partly of gunmetal and partly of wood.

  • 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

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for gunmetal

gunmetal

noun
  1. 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
  2. any of various dark grey metals used for toys, belt buckles, etc
    1. a dark grey colour with a purplish or bluish tinge
    2. (as adjective)gunmetal chiffon
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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