pig iron

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.

Nearby words

pig bed, pig boiling, pig dog, pig fern, pig in a poke, pig iron, pig island, pig islander, pig it, pig latin, pig lead

Origin of pig iron

First recorded in 1655–65

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

Examples from the Web for pig iron

In 1796 the production of pig-iron was double that of 1788, and the average output per furnace raised to 1048 tons.
The Evolution of Modern Capitalism|John Atkinson Hobson
Pig-iron production is admitted to be an excellent barometer of manufacture and of transportation.
The Frontier in American History|Frederick Jackson Turner
More than an eighth and sometimes a quarter of the weight of the pig-iron flows off in slag and is carted away.
The Iron Puddler|James J. Davis
Say, do you know, it might be hidden in the ballast—in a hollow piece of the pig-iron, I mean.
The Rival Campers Afloat|Ruel Perley Smith

Its better fun diving after pig-iron than after mussel-shells, isnt it?
The Last of the Flatboats|George Cary Eggleston

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