iron

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'.

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

An electric clothes iron.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪən/
  • Homophone: ion
• (General American) enPR: ī'ərn, IPA^(key): /ˈaɪɚn/
• (spelling pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪɹən/

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• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)n

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.
11. (weightlifting) Weight used as resistance for the purpose of strength training.

    He lifts iron on the weekends.

12. A safety curtain in a theatre.
13. (military, slang) Dumb bombs, those without guidance systems.

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:iron.

• (metallic chemical element): ferrum
• (tool for pressing clothing): flatiron (old-fashioned), smoothing iron (old-fashioned), clothes iron
• (shackles): shackles
• (homosexual): poof, queer
• (strength or power): energy, force

• (metallic chemical element): chemical element, metal; atom
• (tool for pressing clothing): tool, mechanical device
• (shackles): restraint
• (handgun): weapon
• (dark shade of silver): colour, color; shade; silver
• (strength or power): force, might, energy

• (shackles): leg irons
• (golf club): driving iron, long iron, short iron, 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron, 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron,
• (strength or power): ironman

• (parts or members of metallic chemical element): electron, neutron, proton

• (metallic chemical element): molecule (sometimes)

• (tool for pressing clothing): mangle

See iron/translations § Noun.

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

   Synonyms: adamant, adamantine, brassbound

• (made of the metal iron): metal, metallic

• (made of the metal iron): wrought-iron

• ferrous, ferric

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.
   • 1814, Walter Scott, Waverley:

     [...] is it he who is ironed like a malefactor—who is to be dragged on a hurdle to the common gallows—to die a lingering and cruel death, and to be mangled by the hand of the most outcast of wretches?

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

   to iron a wagon

• (to pass an iron over): press

• (to pass an iron over): mangle

• → Japanese: アイロン (airon)

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

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

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iron

1. accusative singular of iro

iron

1. Rōmaji transcription of いろん