Word: iron Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Alemannic German Ise (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”). Pronunciation: /ˈaɪ.ən/, /ˈɑjən/, /ˈaɪ.ɚn/, /ˈaɪ.ɹən/, /ˈɑɪ.ən/ 1. A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe. Labels: uncountable Example: Today we studied about metals — including iron — at school. Example: They gather one by one, trickling into the shady courtyard, the familiar hum of Mass. Ave. wafting in from behind brick buildings and iron gates. 2. Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus. Labels: countable 4. Any of several other tools traditionally made of wrought iron, now usually of steel. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. Shackles. Labels: countable, plural-normally, uncountable 6. A firearm, either a long gun or a handgun. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable Example: It's many niggas now totin' iron. Example: Ah, throw that old iron over here! We'll pick it up and go on our way. 7. A dark shade of the color silver. Labels: uncountable 8. A male homosexual. Labels: Cockney, countable, offensive, slang 9. A golf club used for middle-distance shots. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The brassey much resembled the driver, but the iron opened out quite a new field of practice; […] 10. Used as a symbol of great strength or toughness, or to signify a very strong or tough material. Labels: figuratively, uncountable Example: ironman; a will of iron Example: He appeared easygoing, but inside he was pure iron. 11. Weight used as resistance for the purpose of strength training. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He lifts iron on the weekends. Example: I wanted Beauty, and what Nature had failed to supply, Iron would. 12. A meteorite consisting primarily of metallic iron (mixed with a small amount of nickel), as opposed to one composed mainly of stony material. Labels: countable Example: Irons and stony irons can be much larger than stony meteorites and are much more visually striking, but make up only a few percent of all meteorites. 13. A safety curtain in a theatre. Labels: countable, uncountable 14. A dumb bomb, one without guidance systems. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable