Iron Age - Definitions from Dictionary.com

8 results for: Iron Age

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Iron Age

–noun

1.	the period in the history of humankind, following the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, marked by the use of implements and weapons made of iron.

2.	(lowercase) Classical Mythology. the present age, following the bronze age; the last and worst of the four ages of the human race, characterized by danger, corruption, and toil.

3.	(lowercase) any age or period of degeneracy or wickedness.

[Origin: 1585–95

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Iron Age

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

I·ron Age Audio Help (ī'ərn) Pronunciation Key
n. The period in cultural development succeeding the Bronze Age in Asia, Europe, and Africa, characterized by the introduction of iron metallurgy. In Europe it began around the eighth century B.C. See Usage Note at Three Age system.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Iron Age

1592, originally from Gk. and Roman mythology, the last and worst age of the world; the archaeological sense of "period in which humans used iron tools and weapons" is from 1879.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

iron age
noun
1.	(archeology) the period following the Bronze Age; characterized by rapid spread of iron tools and weapons
2.	(classical mythology) the last and worst age of the world

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Iron Age
The period in cultural development succeeding the Bronze Age in Asia, Europe, and Africa, characterized by the introduction of iron metallurgy. In southeastern Europe and the Middle East the beginning of the Iron Age is generally dated to around 1200 BCE, with later dates for other parts of Europe and the other continents. Although not as hard or durable as bronze, iron is a more abundant resource, and the Iron Age saw a rapid expansion of metalworking wherever the technology was introduced. See Note at Three Age system.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
Iron Age

The period of history, succeeding the Bronze Age, when people first learned to extract iron from ore and use it to forge tools, weapons, and other objects. The first organized production of iron objects developed in southwestern Asia shortly after 2000 b.c.

[Chapter:] World History to 1550

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

Iron Age history
In the history of computing, 1961-1971 - the formative era of commercial mainframe technology, when ferrite core memory dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron Age began, ironically enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer (the PDP-1) and ended with the introduction of the first commercial microprocessor (the Intel 4004) in 1971.
See also Stone Age; compare elder days.
[The Jargon File]
(2003-09-27)

Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This

Iron Age

n. In the history of computing, 1961-1971 -- the formative era of commercial mainframe technology, when ferrite-core dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron Age began, ironically enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer (the PDP-1) and ended with the introduction of the first commercial microprocessor (the Intel 4004) in 1971. See also Stone Age; compare elder days.

Jargon File 4.2.0

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