steel

«steel» in Mova's school dictionary: A very strong, hard metal made mostly from iron mixed… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (steel — uncountable; steels for kinds); adjective (steel, as in a steel bridge); verb (steel yourself)

meaning for a pupil

1) A very strong, hard metal made mostly from iron mixed with a little carbon, used for bridges, cars, tools, pans and cutlery. tree →

2) As a verb, to steel yourself means to make yourself brave and ready for something hard or scary. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science, steel is a material made by people from iron; it is strong and stiff, and most steel is magnetic, so a magnet sticks to steel. Stainless steel does not rust easily, which is why it is used for sinks and spoons; ordinary steel rusts when wet. In everyday life we see steel in buildings, bikes, tins and nails. In stories, "nerves of steel" means very brave and calm. Phrases: "stainless steel", "steel drum", "nerves of steel", "steel yourself".

examples

• The bridge is made of steel and concrete. tree →
• Our kitchen sink is stainless steel. tree →
• A magnet sticks to the steel door of the fridge. tree →
• Steel is made mostly from iron. tree →
• The old steel gate was covered in rust. tree →
• She steeled herself before jumping into the cold pool. tree →
• The band played music on steel drums. tree →
• Knives and forks are often made of steel. tree →

note

Uncountable as a material: "some steel", not "a steel". Homophone trap: "steel" (metal) and "steal" (take without permission) sound the same. Steel is not an element; it is an alloy (a mix) of iron and carbon. Not all metals are magnetic — steel and iron usually are, but aluminium and copper are not. Stainless steel resists rust, but it is not completely rust-proof.

In the corpora

• The steel pan was developed in Trinidad and Tobago in the 20th century from oil drums and is its national instrument.
• For its weight, some spider silk is stronger than steel and very stretchy, which is why scientists study it so closely.
• A magnet pulls out iron and steel things but not sand; aluminium cans are not picked up by a magnet.
• Rust forms when iron or steel joins with oxygen and water; it is a new substance, so rusting is a chemical change.
• Paint stops rust until it is scratched; galvanised steel has a zinc coat that protects the iron even at a scratch.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «steel» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.