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spelter

American  
[spel-ter] / ˈspɛl tər /

noun

  1. zinc, especially in the form of ingots.


spelter British  
/ ˈspɛltə /

noun

  1. impure zinc, usually containing about 3 per cent of lead and other impurities

"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

Etymology

Origin of spelter

1655–65; origin uncertain; akin to Middle Dutch speauter, German spiauter spelter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

About two hundred and fifty million pounds of crude zinc, or "spelter," are produced in the United States; forty-five million pounds were exported in 1900, mainly to Great Britain.

From Commercial Geography A Book for High Schools, Commercial Courses, and Business Colleges by Redway, Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw)

The alloy is composed of copper, tin, spelter, or zinc and lead, which metals are manipulated.

From Scientific American, Vol. XXXVII.?No. 2. [New Series.], July 14, 1877 A Weekly Journal Of Practical Information, Art, Science, Mechanics, Chemistry, And Manufactures by Various

The French-process zinc oxide produced in America by the sublimation and oxidation of spelter is the purest made, and superior to imported grades which often contain ultramarine blue as a whitening agent.

From Paint Technology and Tests by Gardner, Henry A.

Zinc metal has commonly gone under the name of "spelter."

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

An elderly tinker, the father of the bride, grey as a leafless thorn in winter, but still stalwart and strong, sat admiring a bit of spelter of about a pound weight.

From My Schools and Schoolmasters or The Story of my Education. by Miller, Hugh