# zinc
## English
### Alternative forms

* zinke, zink (both obsolete)

### Etymology

Borrowed from German Zink, related to Zinke (“point, prong”), from Middle High German zinke, from Old High German zinko (“prong, tine”), allied to zint (“a jag, point”), from Proto-Germanic *tindaz (“prong, pinnacle”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth, projection”). Cognate with Old English tind (“tine, prong”), Middle Low German tinde, Icelandic tindur (“spike, tooth of a rake or harrow, pinnacle, peak, battlement”). See also Dutch tinne (“battlement”), German Zinne (“pinnacle, battlement”), Danish tinde (“pinnacle, battlement”), Swedish tinne (“tooth of a rake”), More at tine. Doublet of zincum.

### Pronunciation

* (US) enPR: zingk, IPA: /zɪŋk/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪŋk

### Noun

zinc (countable and uncountable, plural zincs)
* A chemical element (symbol Zn) with an atomic number of 30, a blue-silvery metal that is slightly brittle at room temperature and tarnishes slightly in moist air.
** 2023 December 6, Jessica DeFino, “Too Many Products Can Stress Out Your Skin. Here’s How to Scale Back.”, in The New York Times‎:As for daytime sun protection, Dr. Bowe said mineral sunscreens made with zinc oxide may be gentler on sensitized skin than chemical formulas.
* (countable) A single atom of this element.
* (Nigeria) A corrugated iron roof.
* (UK, dated, colloquial) A zinc countertop.
** 1904, The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art:Then, three workmen throwing dice for drinks. And their heads come sharply together as they count the scores. And so violently do they throw the dice that they shoot off "the zinc" on to the floor.
** 2010, Chris Ackerley, Demented Particulars, page 44:Even if there were a Chef and Brewer near Marble Arch, the name suggests a pint and pie, not a prawn and tomato sandwich and “a dock glass of white port off the zinc”; i.e., a small glass of a fine aperitif, at the counter […]

#### Synonyms

* zincum (archaic)

#### Derived terms

* Berne Zinc tablet
* butter of zinc
* cadmium zinc telluride
* flowers of zinc
* platinum-zinc
* sulfate of zinc, sulphate of zinc
* uranyl zinc acetate
* zinc acetate
* zinc acexamate
* zinc-air
* zinc alum
* zinc amide
* zincate
* zinc blende
* zinc bloom
* zinc-bloom
* zinc carbonate
* zinc-carbon battery
* zinc chills
* zinc chloride
* zinc chromate
* zinc chromate hydroxide
* zinc chrome
* zinc dichloride
* zinc dust
* zinced, zincked
* zinc finger
* zinc foil
* zinc gluconate
* zinc gluconate glycine
* zinc gray, zinc grey
* zinc green
* zinc group
* zinc hydroxide
* zincian
* zincic, zinckic
* zinciferous, zinckiferous, zinkiferous
* zincification
* zincify
* zincing, zincking
* zinc iron
* zincite, zinckite, zinkite
* zinc methyl
* zinco-
* zincography
* zincoid
* zinc oxide
* zinc powder
* zinc protoporphyrin
* zinc pyrithione
* zinc roof
* zinc selenide
* zinc shakes
* zinc spar
* zinc spinel
* zinc sponge
* zinc stearate
* zinc sulfate
* zinc sulfide, zinc sulphide
* zinc sulphate
* zinc uranyl acetate
* zinc white
* zinc yellow
* zincy, zincky, zinky
* zineb

#### Related terms

* zincode
* zincous

#### See also

* blende
* brass
* calamine
* franklinite
* German silver
* nickelled silver
* smithsonite
* solder
* spelter
* sphalerite
* typewriter metal

### Verb

zinc (third-person singular simple present zincs, present participle zincing or zinking or zincking, simple past and past participle zinced or zinked or zincked)
* (rare) To electroplate with zinc.
    Synonym: galvanize
    Hypernyms: electroplate, plate < rustproof
    Hyponym: hot-dip
* (rare) To coat with sunblock incorporating zinc oxide.

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Anagrams

* ICZN

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from French zinc, from German Zink.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [ˈziŋ]
* IPA: (Balearic, Valencia) [ˈziŋk]
* Audio (Valencia):(file)

### Noun

zinc m (uncountable)
* zinc

#### Derived terms

* zincar

### Further reading

* “zinc” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “zinc”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “zinc” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “zinc” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## French
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Zink.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zɛ̃ɡ/, /zɛ̃k/
* Both pronunciations are standard. While that with /ɡ/ is traditionally preferred, that with /k/ is reinforced by the spelling.
* Audio:(file)

#### Noun

zinc m (plural zincs)
* (metallurgy, chemistry) zinc
* (informal) counter (in a bar, café, etc), bar
** 1980, “Où c’est qu’j’ai mis mon flingue?”, in Marche à l’ombre, performed by Renaud:Moi, mon av’nir est sur le zinc / D’un bistrot des plus cradingues(please add an English translation of this quotation)
* (informal) small plane

##### Related terms

* dézinguer
* zincifère
* zincique
* zincographie
* zincure
* zingage (zincage)
* zinguer
* zingueur

#### Further reading

* “zinc”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Etymology 2

Clipping of zincou, verlan form of cousin (“cousin”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zɛ̃k/

#### Noun

zinc m (plural zincs)
* (Verlan) dude, man

## Occitan
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

zinc m (uncountable)
* zinc

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French zinc, from German Zink.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zink/

### Noun

zinc n (uncountable)
* zinc (metal)

#### Declension
### References

* zinc in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Spain) /ˈθink/ [ˈθĩŋk]
* IPA: (Latin America, Philippines) /ˈsink/ [ˈsĩŋk]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ink
* Syllabification: zinc

### Noun

zinc m (uncountable)
* Alternative spelling of cinc

### Further reading

* “zinc”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10