pig iron

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noun

iron tapped from a blast furnace and cast into pigs in preparation for conversion into steel, cast iron, or wrought iron.

iron in the chemical state in which it exists when tapped from the blast furnace, without alloying or refinement.

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Origin of pig iron

First recorded in 1655–65

Words nearby pig iron

piggyback car, piggyback plant, piggy bank, pigheaded, pig in a poke, pig iron, Pig Island, Pig Islander, pig it, pig-jump, pig Latin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pig iron in a sentence

Large deposits of iron ore had been discovered close by and the furnace was built to process the ore into pig iron.
Faces of the dead emerge from lost African American graveyard|Michael Ruane|July 9, 2021|Washington Post
Cruce operates the Iron Hill Campground on the other side of the highway.
The 7-Year-Old Plane Crash Survivor’s Brutal Journey Through the Woods|James Higdon|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He has said he believes Al Sharpton is a “race pimp” and a pig.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elle magazine shot an editorial in September, one picture revealing a teacup pig sitting pretty by a mini Tyler Alexandra bag.
Handbags: The More You Pay, The Smaller They Shrink|Elizabeth Landers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided cast iron skillet.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A whole population of 11 million with every iron in the fire doubling as a finger in a dike.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
"I don't know whether I am going to like this or not--this coming to live in town," thought the little pig.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Mr. Jones swung round a large iron key he held in his hand, and light dawned upon him.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
The pig family did not know when Squinty would be taken away from them, and all they could do was to wait.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Several times after this the boy and his sisters came to look down into the pig pen.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum

British Dictionary definitions for pig iron

pig iron

noun

crude iron produced in a blast furnace and poured into moulds in preparation for making wrought iron, steels, alloys, etc

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