iron

Etymology

From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (compare Dutch ijzer, West Frisian izer, German Eisen, Danish jern), from Gaulish īsarno-, from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (compare Welsh haearn, Irish iarann), a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”) (compare Hittite 𒂊𒌍𒄯 (ēšḫar), Tocharian A ysār, Latvian asinis, Ancient Greek ἔαρ (éar), Old Armenian արիւն (ariwn), Sanskrit असृज् (asṛj)).^[1][2] The sense development runs from 'bloody' to 'blood red' to 'ruddy metal'.

Pronunciation

The position of the element iron in the periodic table, and its structure.

An electric clothes iron.

• (UK, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪə(ɹ)n/
  • Homophone: ion
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪɚn/
• Metathesized or syncopated from original IPA^(key): /ˈaɪɹən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)n

Noun

iron (countable and uncountable, plural irons)

1. (uncountable) A common, inexpensive metal, often black in color, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel.
2. (uncountable, physics, chemistry, metallurgy) A metallic chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.
3. (uncountable, countable, metallurgy) Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron.

   wrought iron, ductile iron, cast iron, pig iron, gray iron

4. (countable) A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus.
5. (usually plural, irons) Shackles.
6. (slang) A handgun.
7. (uncountable) A dark shade of the colour/color silver.
8. (Cockney rhyming slang, shortened from iron hoof, rhyming with poof; countable, offensive) A male homosexual.
9. (golf) A golf club used for middle-distance shots.
10. (uncountable) Great strength or power.

Adjective

iron (not comparable)

1. (not comparable) Made of the metal iron.
2. (figuratively) Strong (as of will), inflexible.
   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     And it is symptomatic of the many paradoxes of Lederer's life that of all the people in the room, Brotherhood is the one whom he would most wish to serve, if ever he had the opportunity, even though — or perhaps because — his occasional efforts to ingratiate himself with his adopted hero have met with iron rebuff.

   She had an iron will.

   He held on with an iron grip.

   an iron constitution

   Iron men

Verb

iron (third-person singular simple present irons, present participle ironing, simple past and past participle ironed)

1. (transitive) To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases.
2. (transitive, archaic) To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff.
   • Sir Walter Scott

     Ironed like a malefactor.

3. (transitive) To furnish or arm with iron.

   to iron a wagon

See also

Further reading

• “Iron” in David Barthelmy, Webmineral Mineralogy Database, 1997–.
• iron mindat.org‎, Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed 29 August 2016

Anagrams

• Orin, RINO, Rion, inro, inrō, noir, nori, roin

Romanization

iron

1. Rōmaji transcription of いろん