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zinc

[ zingk ]
/ zɪŋk /
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noun
Chemistry. a ductile, bluish-white metallic element: used in making galvanized iron, brass, and other alloys, and as an element in voltaic cells. Symbol: Zn; atomic weight: 65.37; atomic number: 30; specific gravity: 7.14 at 20°C.
a piece of this metal used as an element in a voltaic cell.
verb (used with object), zincked or zinced [zingkt], /zɪŋkt/, zinck·ing or zinc·ing [zing-king]. /ˈzɪŋ kɪŋ/.
to coat or cover with zinc.

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Origin of zinc

1635–45; <German Zink, perhaps derivative of Zinke(n) prong, tine, from the spikelike form it takes in a furnace

OTHER WORDS FROM zinc

zincky, zincy, zinky, adjectivezincoid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use zinc in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for zinc

zinc
/ (zɪŋk) /

noun
a brittle bluish-white metallic element that becomes coated with a corrosion-resistant layer in moist air and occurs chiefly in sphalerite and smithsonite. It is a constituent of several alloys, esp brass and nickel-silver, and is used in die-casting, galvanizing metals, and in battery electrodes. Symbol: Zn; atomic no: 30; atomic wt: 65.39; valency: 2; relative density: 7.133; melting pt: 419.58°C; boiling pt: 907°C
informal corrugated galvanized iron

Derived forms of zinc

zincic, zincous or zincoid, adjectivezincky, zincy or zinky, adjective

Word Origin for zinc

C17: from German Zink, perhaps from Zinke prong, from its jagged appearance in the furnace
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

Scientific definitions for zinc

zinc
[ zĭngk ]

Zn
A shiny, bluish-white metallic element that is brittle at room temperature but is malleable when heated. It is used in alloys such as brass and bronze, as a coating for iron and steel, and in various household objects. Zinc is essential to human and animal growth. Atomic number 30; atomic weight 65.39; melting point 419.4°C; boiling point 907°C; specific gravity 7.133 (25°C); valence 2. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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