Word
tungsten
Phoneticstung·sten
US/ˈtəŋstən/
UK/tˈʌŋstən/
Definition
n. a very hard, heavy, grey metal that can handle extremely high temperatures. It is often used to make the thin wires inside light bulbs.
n. a hard, dense, greyish-white metallic element with the highest melting point of all metals. Often used in alloys and electrical applications due to its thermal stability.
Examples
“The filament in this old light bulb is made of tungsten.”
“Engineers chose tungsten for the rocket nozzle because it can withstand the intense heat of the exhaust.”
“Due to its exceptional hardness and density, tungsten is frequently utilized in the production of heavy metal alloys for aerospace and defense applications.”
Examples
simple
“The filament in this old light bulb is made of tungsten.”
contextual
“Engineers chose tungsten for the rocket nozzle because it can withstand the intense heat of the exhaust.”
complex
“Due to its exceptional hardness and density, tungsten is frequently utilized in the production of heavy metal alloys for aerospace and defense applications.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the chemical element; can be countable when referring to specific types or grades of the metal in industrial contexts.
Real-World Examples
“Researchers at the University of Helsinki recently ran a series of molecular dynamics simulations to better understand how atoms move and interact during these collisions, particularly focusing on tungsten.” “A new 3D printing technique can produce exceptionally hard tungsten carbide cobalt while using less of its expensive raw materials.” Etymology
Borrowed from Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”), from tung (“heavy”) + sten (“stone”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/tungsten