gunmetal

American  

[guhn-met-l] / ˈgʌnˌmɛt l /

Or gun metal

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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gunmetal British  

/ ˈɡʌnˌmɛtəl /

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

3. 1. a dark grey colour with a purplish or bluish tinge

   2. ( as adjective )

      gunmetal chiffon

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Etymology

Origin of gunmetal

First recorded in 1535–45; gun ¹ + metal

Example Sentences

Fountain, ballpoint and rollerball pens are available — finished in 24-carat gold plate, rhodium, titanium, sterling silver and gunmetal.

From Washington Times • Nov. 13, 2023

The England captain is the subject of a 25-feet high mural on Whitehall Street, opposite the great, gunmetal dreadnought of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

From BBC • May 28, 2023

"And then I always think that metallic as a color ... like putting on something gunmetal or bronze automatically just lifts the spirits and lifts and lifts your face. You look great."

From Reuters • Feb. 16, 2023

The weird sisters, incarnated in the mesmerizing, smoky-voiced performance art of Kathryn Hunter, seem as much a fact of the natural world as the crows circling the gunmetal sky.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2022

Through my office window on the forty-seventh floor at Sidley, I looked out at a tundra of gray ice on Lake Michigan and a gunmetal sky above.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama