bronze
n. uncountablen. a hard, brownish-orange metal made by mixing copper and tin. It is often used to make statues, coins, and medals for third place.
n. a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. Historically significant for its use in tools and weaponry; currently common in sculpture and commemorative awards.
The artist made a beautiful statue out of bronze.
The athlete was proud to take home the bronze after a very competitive race.
Archaeologists discovered several bronze artifacts that suggest the civilization possessed advanced metallurgical skills long before their neighbors developed similar techniques.
From French bronze (1511); from Italian bronzo (13th c.), of uncertain origin (q.v.). First use appears c. 1721 in the writings of Matthew Prior (for which, see citation below).
Uncountable when referring to the metal itself; countable when referring to a specific object like a medal or a work of art.