nickel-ironn.
/ˌnɪklˈʌɪən/, U.S. /ˌnɪk(ə)lˈaɪ(ə)rn/ Any alloy of nickel and iron, esp. one occurring naturally in a meteorite. Cf. Nife n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > alloy > [noun] > iron and nickel
nickel-iron1867
Invar1902
platinite1905
Nife1909
elinvar1921
permalloy1923
perminvar1928
radiometal1932
1867 Proc. Royal Soc. 1866–7 15 217 Mineralogical Composition of the Dhurmsalla Meterorite. 1. Nickel-iron... 2. Protosulphuret of iron..[etc.].
1892 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 143 509 (title) Josephinite; a new nickel-iron.
1946 Thorpe's Dict. Appl. Chem. (ed. 4) VII. 458/1 Silicon-irons and nickel-irons with alloy additions are noteworthy.
1971 I. G. Gass et al. Understanding Earth viii. 116/1 Nickel-iron is practically absent from terrestrial rocks.
1992 Atlantic Monthly Mar. 48/1 Forward speculates that ‘a new breed of wildcatter’ might..supply orbital engineering projects with millions of tons of nickel-iron or carbon from diverted asteroids.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1867