Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

martensite

[mahr-tn-zahyt]
noun Metallurgy.
  1. a metastable microconstituent of any of various forms of carbon steel, produced by undercooling sufficiently below the normal transformation temperature, especially a hard, brittle product of the decomposition of austenite, produced in this way.
Show More

Origin of martensite

1895–1900; named after Adolf Martens (died 1914), German metallurgist; see -ite1
Related formsmar·ten·sit·ic [mahr-tn-zit-ik] /ˌmɑr tnˈzɪt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for martensite

Historical Examples

  • Below the temperature of the point F the martensite becomes heterogeneous, and forms pearlite.

    The Phase Rule and Its Applications

    Alexander Findlay

British Dictionary definitions for martensite

martensite

noun
  1. a constituent formed in steels by rapid quenching, consisting of a supersaturated solid solution of carbon in iron. It is formed by the breakdown of austenite when the rate of cooling is large enough to prevent pearlite forming
Show More
Derived Formsmartensitic (ˌmɑːtɪnˈzɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin

C20: named after Adolf Martens (died 1914), German metallurgist
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