n.
Pronunciation: ' st ē l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English stele, from Old English sty ̄ le, st ē le; akin to Old High German stahal steel and perhaps to Sanskrit stakati he resists
Date: before 12th century
1 : commercial iron that contains carbon in any amount up to about 1.7 percent as an essential alloying constituent, is malleable when under suitable conditions, and is distinguished from cast iron by its malleability and lower carbon content
2 : an instrument or implement of or characteristically of steel: as a : a thrusting or cutting weapon b : an instrument (as a fluted round rod with a handle) for sharpening knives c : a piece of steel for striking sparks from flint
3 : a quality (as hardness of mind or spirit) that suggests steel <nerves of steel >
4 a : the steel manufacturing industry b plural : shares of stock in steel companies