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[met-l] /ˈmɛt l/

noun
1.
any of a class of elementary substances, as gold, silver, or copper, all of which are crystalline when solid and many of which are characterized by opacity, ductility, conductivity, and a unique luster when freshly fractured.
2.
Chemistry.

3.
an alloy or mixture composed wholly or partly of such substances, as brass.
4.
an object made of metal.
5.
formative material; stuff.
6.
.
7.
Printing.

8.
molten glass in the pot or melting tank.
9.
British. .
verb (used with object), metaled, metaling or (especially British) metalled, metalling.
10.
to furnish or cover with metal.
11.
British. to pave or surface (a road) with broken stone.
/ˈmɛtəl/
noun
1.

2.
(printing) type made of metal
3.
the substance of glass in a molten state or as the finished product
4.
short for road metal
5.
(informal) short for heavy metal (sense 1)
6.
(navy)

7.
(astronomy) Also called heavy element. any element heavier than helium
8.
(heraldry) gold or silver
9.
(pl) the rails of a railway
adjective
10.
made of metal
verb (transitive) -als, -alling, -alled (US) -als, -aling, -aled
11.
to fit or cover with metal
12.
to make or mend (a road) with road metal
n.

mid-13c., from Old French metal “metal; material, substance, stuff” (12c.), from Latin metallum “metal; mine, quarry, mineral, what is got by mining,” from Greek metallon “metal, ore” (senses only in post-classical texts; originally “mine, quarry, pit”), probably from metalleuein “to mine, to quarry,” of unknown origin, but related somehow to metallan “to seek after.” Cf. Greek metalleutes “a miner,” metalleia “a searching for metals, mining.”
adj.

late 14c., from metal (n.).

metal met·al (mět’l)
n.

metal
(mět’l)

Our Living Language : Most metallic elements are lustrous or colorful solids that are good conductors of heat and electricity, and readily form ionic bonds with other elements. Many of their properties are due to the fact that their outermost electrons, called valence electrons, are not tightly bound to the nucleus. For instance, most metals form ionic bonds easily because they readily give up valence electrons to other atoms, thereby becoming positive ions (cations). The electrical conductivity of metals also stems from the relative freedom of valence electrons. In a substance composed of metals, the atoms are in a virtual “sea” of valence electrons that readily jump from atom to atom in the presence of an electric potential, creating electric current. With the exception of hydrogen, which behaves like a metal only at very high pressures, the elements that appear in the left-hand column of the Periodic Table are called alkali metals. Alkali metals, such as sodium and potassium, have only one electron in their outermost shell, and are chemically very reactive. (Hydrogen is exceptional in that, although it is highly reactive, its other metallic properties are manifest only at very high pressures.) Metals farther toward the right side of the Periodic Table, such as tin and lead, have more electrons in their outermost shell, and are not as reactive. The somewhat reactive elements that fall between the two extremes are the transition elements, such as iron, copper, tungsten, and silver. In most atoms, inner electron shells must be maximally occupied by electrons before an outer shell will accept electrons, but many transition elements have electron gaps in the shell just inside the valence shell. This configuration leads to a wide variety of available energy levels for electrons to move about in, so in the presence of electromagnetic radiation such as light, a variety of frequencies are readily emitted or absorbed. Thus transition metals tend to be very colorful, and each contributes different colors to different compounds.

noun

heavy metal

verb

To play loudly amplified rock and roll music: Nobody can metal like Blue Oyster Cult (1973+)

Related Terms

heavy metal, put the pedal to the metal