gossan

[ gos-uhn, goz- ]

noun
  1. a rust-colored deposit of mineral matter at the outcrop of a vein or orebody containing iron-bearing materials.

Origin of gossan

1
First recorded in 1770–80; originally dialect (Cornwall), from Cornish, derivative of gōs “blood”; akin to Welsh gwaed
  • Also called iron hat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gossan in a sentence

  • Their history began away back in the days when military costume consisted of an iron hat and a steel vest.

  • Remember the pregnant Cornish saying with regard to mining and the current aphorism, "The iron hat covers the golden head."

    Getting Gold | J. C. F. Johnson
  • Ordinary vair in German heraldry is known as Eisenht-feh, or iron hat vair.

    A Complete Guide to Heraldry | Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
  • Remember the pregnant Cornish saying with regard to mining and the current aphorism, “The iron hat covers the golden head.”

    Getting Gold | J. C. F. Johnson
  • The man immediately behind him wears an iron hat, with a wide rim and a raised crest, which is not at all unusual at this period.