metalliferous

[ met-l-if-er-uhs ]

/ ˌmɛt lˈɪf ər əs /

Save This Word!

adjective

containing or yielding metal.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of metalliferous

1650–60; <Latin metallifer (see metalli-, -fer) + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM metalliferous

non·met·al·lif·er·ous, adjective

Words nearby metalliferous

metallic lens, metallic luster, metallic soap, metallic wood-boring beetle, metallide, metalliferous, metalline, metallist, metallize, metallo-, metallocene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use metalliferous in a sentence

The primary sources of gold are reefs, either in quartz or in metalliferous veins of galena and the various pyrites.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy
Traces of this metal, chiefly in the boulder form, are found in the metalliferous horizontal strata.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
It is manifestly the same great metalliferous rock which accompanies the lead ore of Missouri and mines of Peosta or Dubuque.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
The occurrence of this metal in the copper-bearing and other metalliferous rocks of this region, may be confidently affirmed.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

At Vanmater's, the metalliferous clay marl is overlaid by a grayish sedimentary limestone.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

British Dictionary definitions for metalliferous

metalliferous

/ (ˌmɛtəˈlɪfərəs) /

adjective

containing a high concentration of metallic elementsa metalliferous ore

Word Origin for metalliferous

C17: from Latin metallifer yielding metal, from metallum metal + ferre to bear

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