Iron
/ˈaɪ.ərn/noun
A strong, hard metallic chemical element used for tools, structures, and machinery.
Did you know?The English word iron comes from a very old Germanic word, but scholars think that word itself may have been borrowed into Proto-Germanic from a pre-Indo-European source, making its deepest origin one of the great mysteries of ancient language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*īsarną
“iron”
Old English
OE
īsern / īren
“iron”
Old High German
OHG
īsarn
“iron”
Middle English
English
iren / yron
“iron”
Modern English
English
iron
“iron”