zinc
Americannoun
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zincs
plural
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Chemistry. a ductile, bluish-white metallic element: used in making galvanized iron, brass, and other alloys, and as an element in voltaic cells. Zn; 65.37; 30; 7.14 at 20°C.
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a piece of this metal used as an element in a voltaic cell.
verb (used with object)
noun
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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
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informal corrugated galvanized iron
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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.
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See Periodic Table
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of zinc
1635–45; < German Zink, perhaps derivative of Zinke ( n ) prong, tine, from the spikelike form it takes in a furnace
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Explanation
Zinc is a type of metal that's used to make brass. Zinc is also present in some of the food we eat, and it's important for helping our bodies fight off bad bacteria and viruses. In its basic form, zinc is a brittle, bluish-white metal. Along with copper, it's used to make the brass for light fixtures, doorknobs, and tools, among many other things. Pennies contain zinc too — since 1982, they contain 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. There's also zinc in our bodies, and in food including shellfish, meat, and seeds. The word zinc is believed to come from the German Zinke, "point," in reference to the spiked shape of a zinc crystal.
Vocabulary lists containing zinc
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.
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Amid the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, videos of a doctor recommending Vitamin D3 and zinc spread from accounts selling supplements, despite these being unable to treat the disease.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
A few hours later, gas-rich magma, 650-800°C in temperature – well above the melting points of lead and zinc – breaks through the fractured surface.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
She wrote in her report that “heavy metals, notably lead, zinc, copper, chromium, arsenic, and antimony, were detected above laboratory reporting limits.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Nexa Resources owns and operates two underground mines and an open-pit mine in Peru, two underground mines in Brazil, along with two zinc smelters in Brazil and one in Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
So not a soul except Mama saw me bring the zinc tubs out of the shed room.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Even the best zincs will not provide full protection if they're not installed correctly and replaced in a timely fashion.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Parisian zincs are the ideal theater of the comedy of man," observes the weekly L'Express.
From Time Magazine Archive
Another method of amalgamating zincs is to clean them by dipping them in dilute sulphuric acid and then in mercury, allowing the surplus to drain off.
From Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. by Kempster Miller
In renewing a Leclanche battery, do the zincs have to be amalgamated?
In casting zincs for batteries a separate crucible, used only for zinc, is very desirable, as the presence of a very small amount of lead or other impurity will cause the batteries to polarize.
From The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 700 Things for Boys to Do by Popular Mechanics Co.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
