steel

v. make strong, toughen, make inflexible; fit or edge with steel

adj. of or pertaining to steel; resembling steel, having the properties of steel

n. hard and strong metal alloy made up of iron and carbon (used for making knives, machines, etc.); object made of steel

Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.02% and 1.7 or 2.04% by weight (C:1000–10,8.67Fe), depending on grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese and tungsten. Carbon and other elements act as a hardening agent, preventing dislocations in the iron atom crystal lattice from sliding past one another. Varying the amount of alloying elements and form of their presence in the steel (solute elements, precipitated phase) controls qualities such as the hardness, ductility, and tensile strength of the resulting steel. Steel with increased carbon content can be made harder and stronger than iron, but is also more brittle. The maximum solubility of carbon in iron (in austenite region) is 2.14 y weight, occurring at 1149 °C; higher concentrations of carbon or lower temperatures will produce cementite. Alloys with higher carbon content than this are known as cast iron because of their lower melting point. Steel is also to be distinguished from wrought iron containing only a very small amount of other elements, but containing 1–3% by weight of slag in the form of particles elongated in one direction, giving the iron a characteristic grain. It is more rust-resistant than steel and welds more easily. It is common today to talk about 'the iron and steel industry' as if it were a single entity, but historically they were separate products.
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Noun
1. an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
(hypernym) alloy, metal
(hyponym) alloy steel
(substance-meronym) iron, Fe, atomic number 26
2. a cutting or thrusting weapon with a long blade
(synonym) sword, blade, brand
(hypernym) weapon, arm, weapon system
(hyponym) backsword
(part-meronym) blade
3. knife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod
(hypernym) sharpener
Verb
1. get ready for something difficult or unpleasant
(synonym) nerve
(hypernym) brace, poise
2. cover, plate, or edge with steel
(hypernym) cover

n. panhandle, stem, helve, shaft, shank, halm, tail

n. set, suit, stand, outfit, bunch, pair, covey, gang

v. steal, thieve, loot, smuggle, purloin, lift, cabbage, spoil, sharp

v. place, set, state, fit, put, adjust, pitch, point, pose, sight, suppose, repose

(n.)
To overlay, point, or edge with steel; as, to steel a razor; to steel an ax.
  

(n.)
To make hard or strong; hence, to make insensible or obdurate.
  

(n.)
To cover, as an electrotype plate, with a thin layer of iron by electrolysis. The iron thus deposited is very hard, like steel.
  

(n.)
Fig.: To cause to resemble steel, as in smoothness, polish, or other qualities.
  

(n.)
Fig.: Anything of extreme hardness; that which is characterized by sternness or rigor.
  

(n.)
An instrument or implement made of steel
  

(n.)
An instrument of steel (usually a round rod) for sharpening knives.
  

(n.)
A weapon, as a sword, dagger, etc.
  

(n.)
A variety of iron intermediate in composition and properties between wrought iron and cast iron (containing between one half of one per cent and one and a half per cent of carbon), and consisting of an alloy of iron with an iron carbide. Steel, unlike wrought iron, can be tempered, and retains magnetism. Its malleability decreases, and fusibility increases, with an increase in carbon.
  

(n.)
A piece of steel for striking sparks from flint.
  

(n.)
A chalybeate medicine.