Library / English Dictionary

STEEL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Knife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("steel" is a kind of...):

sharpener (any implement that is used to make something (an edge or a point) sharper)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

Synonyms:

blade; brand; steel; sword

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("steel" is a kind of...):

arm; weapon; weapon system (any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting)

Meronyms (parts of "steel"):

blade (the flat part of a tool or weapon that (usually) has a cutting edge)

foible (the weaker part of a sword's blade from the forte to the tip)

forte (the stronger part of a sword blade between the hilt and the foible)

haft; helve (the handle of a weapon or tool)

hilt (the handle of a sword or dagger)

peak; point; tip (a V shape)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "steel"):

backsword (a sword with only one cutting edge)

broadsword (a sword with a broad blade and (usually) two cutting edges; used to cut rather than stab)

cavalry sword; saber; sabre (a stout sword with a curved blade and thick back)

cutlas; cutlass (a short heavy curved sword with one edge; formerly used by sailors)

falchion (a short broad slightly convex medieval sword with a sharp point)

fencing sword (a sword used in the sport of fencing)

rapier; tuck (a straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges)

Instance hyponyms:

Excalibur (the legendary sword of King Arthur)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("steel" is a kind of...):

alloy; metal (a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten)

Meronyms (substance of "steel"):

pearlite (a lamellar mixture of cementite and ferrite formed during the cooling of austenite; a constituent of steel and cast iron)

atomic number 26; Fe; iron (a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "steel"):

structural steel (a strong steel that is rolled into shapes that are used in construction)

quenched steel (steel that has been hardened by immersing it in water or oil to cool it)

low-carbon steel; mild steel; soft-cast steel (steel with less than 0.15% carbon)

medium steel (steel with 0.15-0.3% carbon)

hard steel (steel with more than 0.3% carbon)

chisel steel (steel used in making chisels)

Damascus steel; Damask steel (a hard resilient steel often decorated and used for sword blades)

crucible steel (steel made by the mixture of molten wrought iron, charcoal, and other substances in a crucible)

carbon steel (steel whose characteristics are determined by the amount of carbon it contains)

case-hardened steel (steel with a surface that is much harder than the interior metal)

austenitic steel (steel that has enough nickel and chromium or manganese to retain austenite at atmospheric temperatures)

alloy steel (steel who characteristics are determined by the addition of other elements in addition to carbon)

Derivation:

steel (cover, plate, or edge with steel)

steely (resembling steel in hardness)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cover, plate, or edge with steel

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "steel" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

steel (an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Get ready for something difficult or unpleasant

Synonyms:

nerve; steel

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "steel" is one way to...):

brace; poise (prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Credits

 Context examples: 

You do not know her, but she has a soul of steel.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Within each of these was enclosed a prodigious plate of steel; which, by our orders, we obliged him to show us, because we apprehended they might be dangerous engines.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Nickel monoxide is used in the electronics, ceramics, steel and alloy industries.

(Nickel Monoxide, NCI Thesaurus)

“The present work focused on corrosion inhibition on commercial steel in a marine environment and its application in coatings,” Gopalan says.

(Mango leaf extract can stop ships from rusting, SciDev.Net)

There is increasing interest around the world in using timber as a lighter, more sustainable construction alternative to steel and concrete.

(Revealing the nanostructure of wood could help raise height limits for wooden skyscrapers, University of Cambridge)

He looked at us over her bowed head, with eyes that blinked damply above his quivering nostrils; his mouth was set as steel.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I will hover near and direct the steel aright.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

He was but a poor man himself, said Peggotty, but as good as gold and as true as steel—those were her similes.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In her daily ministrations upon the prisoner she was forced to grit her teeth and steel herself, body and spirit.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Colors include fawn, sand, chestnut, silver and steel blue, black, tan and parti-color.

(Chihuahua, NCI Thesaurus)