Steel
/stiːl/noun
A hard, strong alloy of iron and carbon.
Did you know?The English word steel comes from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “stiff” or “hard,” so its name originally described its unbending nature rather than its chemistry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steig-
“to be stiff, to be strong”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*stahliją / *stahlaz
“hard, stiff; steel”
Old English
English
stēle
“steel, hard metal”
Old Norse
Old Norse
stál
“steel”
Middle English
English
stele / steel
“steel, the hard metal used for weapons and tools”
Modern English
English
steel
“a hard alloy of iron and carbon”