iron
n. C / Un. a strong, common metal used to make things like steel and tools. It's also the name for the small, hot machine you use to make clothes smooth.
n. a hard, strong, greyish-white metallic chemical element, symbol Fe. The term also refers to a handheld electrical appliance with a flat, heated base used for pressing clothes.
She uses an iron to press her shirts.
The old bridge is made of cast iron, which needs regular painting to prevent it from rusting.
The Industrial Revolution was built on coal and iron, transforming landscapes and societies with its relentless demand for raw materials.
From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic īsarn, from Proto-Germanic īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”).
Uncountable when referring to the metallic element; countable when referring to the household appliance for pressing clothes.
This gate is made of an iron.This gate is made of iron.When referring to the metal as a material, 'iron' is uncountable and does not take an article.