| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
iron (ˈaɪən) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. steel cast iron wrought iron See also pig iron a malleable ductile silvery-white ferromagnetic metallic element occurring principally in haematite and magnetite. It is widely used for structural and engineering purposes. Symbol: Fe; atomic no: 26; atomic wt: 55.847; valency: 2,3,4, or 6; relative density: 7.874; melting pt: 1538°C; boiling pt: 2862°CRelated: ferric, ferrous, ferro- |
| b. (as modifier): iron railings | |
| 2. | any of certain tools or implements made of iron or steel, esp for use when hot: a grappling iron; a soldering iron |
| 3. | an appliance for pressing fabrics using dry heat or steam, esp a small electrically heated device with a handle and a weighted flat bottom |
| 4. | any of various golf clubs with narrow metal heads, numbered from 1 to 9 according to the slant of the face, used esp for approach shots: a No. 6 iron |
| 5. | an informal word for harpoon |
| 6. | slang (US) a splintlike support for a malformed leg |
| 7. | great hardness, strength, or resolve: a will of iron |
| 8. | astronomy short for iron meteorite |
| 9. | See shooting iron |
| 10. | strike while the iron is hot to act at an opportune moment |
| —adj | |
| 11. | very hard, immovable, or implacable: iron determination |
| 12. | very strong; extremely robust: an iron constitution |
| 13. | cruel or unyielding: he ruled with an iron hand |
| 14. | an iron fist See also velvet a cruel and unyielding attitude or approach |
| —vb | |
| 15. | to smooth (clothes or fabric) by removing (creases or wrinkles) using a heated iron; press |
| 16. | (tr) to furnish or clothe with iron |
| 17. | rare (tr) to place (a prisoner) in irons |
| Related: ferric, ferrous, ferro- | |
| [Old English irēn; related to Old High German īsan, Old Norse jārn; compare Old Irish īarn] | |
| 'ironer | |
| —n | |
| 'ironless | |
| —adj | |
| 'ironlike | |
| —adj | |
| pump iron | |
| —vb | |
| slang (intr) to exercise with weights; do body-building exercises | |
"Right so as whil that Iren is hoot men sholden smyte." [Chaucer, c.1386]To have (too) many irons in the fire "to be doing too much at once" is from 1540s. Iron lung "artificial respiration tank" is from 1932.
iron i·ron (ī'ərn)
n.
Symbol Fe A lustrous, malleable, ductile, magnetic or magnetizable metallic element. Atomic number 26; atomic weight 55.847; melting point 1,538°C; boiling point 2,860°C; specific gravity 7.874 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 6.
A pill or other medication containing iron and taken as a dietary supplement.
| iron (ī'ərn) Pronunciation Key
Symbol Fe A silvery-white, hard metallic element that occurs abundantly in minerals such as hematite, magnetite, pyrite, and ilmenite. It is malleable and ductile, can be magnetized, and rusts readily in moist air. It is used to make steel and other alloys important in construction and manufacturing. Iron is a component of hemoglobin, which allows red blood cells to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide through the body. Atomic number 26; atomic weight 55.845; melting point 1,535°C; boiling point 2,750°C; specific gravity 7.874 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 6. See Periodic Table. See Note at element. |
iron definition
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pump (some) iron definition
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Tubal-Cain is the first-mentioned worker in iron (Gen. 4:22). The Egyptians wrought it at Sinai before the Exodus. David prepared it in great abundance for the temple (1 Chr. 22:3: 29:7). The merchants of Dan and Javan brought it to the market of Tyre (Ezek. 27:19). Various instruments are mentioned as made of iron (Deut. 27:5; 19:5; Josh. 17:16, 18; 1 Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 2 Kings 6:5, 6; 1 Chr. 22:3; Isa. 10:34). Figuratively, a yoke of iron (Deut. 28:48) denotes hard service; a rod of iron (Ps. 2:9), a stern government; a pillar of iron (Jer. 1:18), a strong support; a furnace of iron (Deut. 4:20), severe labour; a bar of iron (Job 40:18), strength; fetters of iron (Ps. 107:10), affliction; giving silver for iron (Isa. 60:17), prosperity.
pump iron
Lift weights, as in She's started pumping iron three times a week. This idiom was born with the late-20th-century stress on physical fitness. [Second half of 1900s]