Wiktionary

metallic

See also: metàl·lic

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Latin metallicus, from metallum (“metal”), from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon). Equivalent to metal +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

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  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /məˈtæl.ɪk/, /mɪˈtæl.ɪk/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ælɪk
  • Hyphenation: me‧tal‧lic

Adjective

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metallic (comparative more metallic, superlative most metallic)

  1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of metal.
  2. Made of or containing metal.
    • a. 1712, William King, “Rufinus: Or, The Favourite”, in The Works of the English Poets, volume XX, page 374:
      […] and, lo ! a palace towering ſeems, / With Parian pillars and metallic beams.
    • 1878, Sir Norman Lockyer, “On Dissociation”, in Studies in Spectrum Analysis, page 167:
      These chemical distinctions then, to which we have referred, are quite independent of physical condition. For instance, amongst the most metallic of the metals is a gas.
  3. (of a sound) Harsh, as if coming from two metals striking one another.
    • 1839, Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in Tales, London: Wiley & Putnam, published 1846, page 81:
      No sooner had these syllables passed my lips, than—as if a shield of brass had indeed, at the moment, fallen heavily upon a floor of silver—I became aware of a distinct, hollow, metallic and clangorous, yet apparently muffled reverberation.
  4. (of a color) Having the appearance of being of polished metal.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Prefixed forms
Other derivations
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Translations

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Noun

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metallic (plural metallics)

  1. A metallic color.
    • 2007 May 24, Karin Nelson, “Keeping Time in Cool Comfort”, in New York Times‎[1]:
      As Robert Clergerie, whose unisex Popée shoe comes in an array of pastels and eye-popping metallics, explained the attraction, “It gives manhood to women.”

Anagrams

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Occitan

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Etymology

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From Latin metallicus. Attested from the 16th century.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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metallic m (feminine singular metallica, masculine plural metallics, feminine plural metallicas)

  1. metallic
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References

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  1. ^ Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 380.

Further reading

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  • Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎[2], 2 edition, →ISBN, page 644.
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