Steel Definition

steel

English

Etymology

Middle English stele, stel, from Old English (North) stēle, (South) stȳle, from Proto-Germanic *stahlijan (cf. West Frisian stiel), enlargement of *stahlan (cf. Dutch staal, German Stahl, Danish stål) from Proto-Indo-European *stak- ‘to stay, be firm’ (cf. Umbrian stakaz ‘upright, erected’, Avestan staxra ‘strong’, Sanskrit (stákati) ‘resist, strike against’).

Pronunciation

• enPR: stēl, IPA: /stiːl/, SAMPA: /sti:l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːl
• Homophones: steal, stele

Noun

steel (countable and uncountable; plural steels)

1. (uncountable, countable) A metal alloy of mostly iron plus carbon, harder than pure iron but malleable when hot.
2. (countable) A tool used to sharpen or hone knives; a honing steel.
   • 1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Chapter V

     When he came to Nottingham, he entered that part of the market where butchers stood, and took up his inn(2) in the best place he could find. Next, he opened his stall and spread his meat upon the bench, then, taking his cleaver and steel and clattering them together, he trolled aloud in merry tones:...

3. (countable) A sword.
4. (music, guitar) A type of slide used in the practice of steel guitar.
5. (figuratively) Hardness; strength in adversity; mettle.
   • 2011 October 15, Michael Da Silva, “Wigan 1 - 3 Bolton”, BBC Sport:

     Rodallega added some steel to the Wigan forward line when he made his return from injury as a half-time substitute. The Colombian linked well with Franco Di Santo and gave Wigan the belief they lacked in the first half.

Derived terms

• steelware
• steely
• stainless steel

Verb

steel (third-person singular simple present steels, present participle steeling, simple past and past participle steeled)

1. To harden.

   The harsh fall weather steeled them against the colder winter.

   • 2009 January 22, “The Celebration, and the Work Ahead”, New York Times:

     Often muscular and severe, the speech diagnosed the nation’s problems with a cold eye, swept away objections to decisive action, and steeled the American people for the measures that will be necessary, all the while providing a positive vision of a remade America that stands firmly on American values and traditions.

2. To cover with steel
3. To hone with a honing steel.

Anagrams

• leets
• sleet
• stele
• teles

References

“steel” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːl
• IPA: /steːl/

Noun

steel m. (plural stelen, diminutive steeltje)

1. stem (of a plant)
2. handle (of a broom, a pan)

Synonyms

• (stem): stengel

Derived terms

• bezemsteel
• pijpensteel

Verb

steel

1. first-person singular present indicative of stelen.
2. imperative of stelen.

Anagrams

• leest, sleet, slete, stele

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