METAL

[noun] - a chemical element, such as iron or gold, or a mixture of such elements, such as steel, which electricity and heat can travel through and which is generally hard and strongMetals are used for making machinery and tools. [C]Metal, paper and glass can be recycled. [U]Steel is a ferrous metal (= It contains iron) and some types of it rust when exposed to air. [C]Iron, copper, tin and lead are all heavy (= dense) metals and are commonly used in engineering. [C]Molten metal (= Metal in a liquid state) is shaped by pouring it into a mould of the required shape and leaving it to cool. [U]Silver, gold and platinum are precious metals. [C]The wooden beam is reinforced with a metal plate.A metal detector is a machine that you move over the ground or an object to discover if there is metal there.Many people use metal detectors in fields and on beaches in the hope of finding buried treasure.Metal detectors are used in airports to check that people are not carrying weapons.Metal fatigue is a weakness which develops in metal structures which are used repeatedly.Metal fatigue was blamed for the plane crash, which was caused by one of the engines disintegrating.