steel¹ /stēl/

1. Iron containing a little carbon, with or without additional ingredients
2. A weapon of steel, a sword (literary)
3. A rough-surfaced steel implement for sharpening knives
4. A piece of steel, eg for stiffening a corset
5. A steel engraving
6. Extreme hardness, staying power, trustworthiness (figurative)
7. Formerly, any medicine containing an iron compound
8. (in pl) bonds and shares of steel companies (stock exchange)

Of or like steel

1. To cover, point or edge with steel
2. To harden
3. To nerve
4. To make obdurate

steeled adjective

1. Made of, covered, protected, provided or edged with, steel
2. Hardened
3. Nerved

steelˈiness noun

steelˈing noun

steelˈy adjective

Of or like steel

steel band noun

A West Indian band, using steel drums, etc

steelˈ-blue noun and adjective

Grey-blue like a reflection from steel

steelˈ-clad adjective

Clad in armour

steel collar worker or steel-collar worker noun

A term applied to a robot, used in manfacturing industry, esp in the automation of assembly lines, to carry out tasks formerly done by a worker or workers

steel drum noun

A percussion instrument usu made from the top of an oil drum, hammered out into a bowl-like shape and faceted so as to produce different notes (also called steel pan)

steel engraving noun

1. The act or process of engraving on steel plates
2. An impression or print resulting from this

steel erector noun

A spiderman

steelˈ-greyˈ or steel-grayˈ noun and adjective

Bluish-grey like steel

steelˈhead noun

A silvery N Pacific rainbow trout

steel-headˈed adjective

steelˈman noun

(more often in pl steelˈmen) a worker in the steel industry

steel pan see steel drum above.

steel plate noun

1. A plate of steel
2. One on which a design is engraved
3. A print from it

steel-platˈed adjective

Plated with steel

steel trap noun

One with steel jaws and spring

steelˈware noun

Articles of steel collectively

steel wool noun

Steel shavings used for cleaning and polishing

steelˈwork noun

1. Work executed in steel
2. A framework for (part of) a building, made of steel
3. (in pl) a factory where steel is made

steelˈworker noun

steelˈworking noun

• softenings
• softens
• soften up
• softer
• softest
• soft-finned
• soft foci
• soft focus
• soft-focus
• soft-footed
• soft fruit
• soft fruits
• soft furnishings
• soft goods
• soft-grass
• softhead
• soft-headed
• softheads
• soft-hearted
• soft hyphen
• soft hyphens
• softie
• softies
• softing
• soft iron