pewter

American  

[pyoo-ter] / ˈpju tər /

noun

pewters plural

1. any of various alloys in which tin is the chief constituent, originally one of tin and lead.

2. a container or utensil made of such an alloy.

3. such utensils collectively.

   a revival of interest in pewter.

4. British Slang.

   1. a cup awarded as a prize or trophy, as in a sporting event.

   2. prize money.

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adjective

1. consisting or made of pewter.

   a pewter mug.

pewter British  

/ ˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. 1. any of various alloys containing tin (80–90 per cent), lead (10–20 per cent), and sometimes small amounts of other metals, such as copper and antimony

   2. ( as modifier )

      pewter ware

      a pewter tankard

2. 1. a bluish-grey colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      pewter tights

3. plate or kitchen utensils made from pewter

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pewterer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pewters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pewter

1325–75; Middle English pewtre < Middle French peutre < Vulgar Latin *piltrum; perhaps akin to spelter

Explanation

Pewter is a silver-colored metal that's been used for decorative objects and plates, cups, and bowls since ancient times. It was once common to use pewter to make lidded tankards for drinking and large cauldrons for cooking. Pewter is a metal alloy, which means it's a combination of several kinds of metal. There's always tin and copper in pewter, and it once commonly included lead, which we now know is dangerous for humans to consume. As a result, much antique pewter tableware isn't considered safe to use, although it's an attractive decoration. Pewter made today doesn't contain lead, but it's still most often used in candlesticks, picture frames, and other decorative objects.

Example Sentences

The work, with a handsome design by Mr. Loquasto, features what look like sheets of pewter leaf hanging from clotheslines, beneath and through which eight dancers in dusky-hued unitards come and go.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

He remembers two politicians who would eat together and regularly put in the same order: "Two working man's portions of your beef and two pewter mugs of your finest ales."

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2024

There was a claw-foot tub with pewter fixtures, a charmingly messy bookshelf window-seat, a kitchen painted a cool green.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024

The photographs are made using heliography — “sun writing,” a term coined by 19th century French photography pioneer Nicéphore Niépce — a technique akin to etching with light-sensitive materials on reflective pewter plates.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023

The floor had been fresh-sanded, the hearthstone polished, the pewter scoured.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare