zinc
Americannoun
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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
Other Word Forms
- zincic adjective
- zincky adjective
- zincoid adjective
- zincy adjective
- zinky adjective
Etymology
Origin of zinc
1635–45; < German Zink, perhaps derivative of Zinke ( n ) prong, tine, from the spikelike form it takes in a furnace
Compare meaning
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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.
AFP visited the remote border zone and saw three buildings reduced to rubble, their scorched zinc roofing twisted among the debris.
From Barron's
A variety of base metals are traded on the LME, including aluminum, copper, and zinc.
"We found cadmium, cobalt, copper, zinc, and nickel," she explained.
From BBC
They focused on iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, copper, and potassium.
From Science Daily
At least 33 miners have died in a suspected carbon-monoxide leak at a lead and zinc mine in central Nigeria's Plateau state, witnesses have told the BBC.
From BBC
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.
