metalliferous

[ met-l-if-er-uh s ]

/ ˌmɛt lˈɪf ər əs /

adjective

containing or yielding metal.

Nearby words

Origin of metalliferous

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

Related formsnon·met·al·lif·er·ous, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for metalliferous

In Cumberland the metalliferous limestone includes a bed of trap, designated under the name of whinsill.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
The total height of the metalliferous mountain above the level of the sea, is no more than 180 metres, or 600 feet.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
Constance dropped into the mining technicalities with the easy familiarity of one born in the metalliferous West.
The Helpers|Francis Lynde
They agitate the metalliferous material with wooden scrubbers and wash it in a similar way.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola

The tin-stone or metalliferous concentrates settle in the strake and are afterward washed in another strake.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola

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