bronze

[bronz] /brɒnz/
noun
1.
Metallurgy.
  1. any of various alloys consisting essentially of copper and tin, the tin content not exceeding 11 percent.
  2. any of various other alloys having a large copper content.
2.
a metallic brownish color.
3.
a work of art, as a statue, statuette, bust, or medal, composed of bronze.
4.
Numismatics. a coin made of bronze, especially one from the Roman Empire.
verb (used with object), bronzed, bronzing.
5.
to give the appearance or color of bronze to.
6.
to make brown, as by exposure to the sun:
The sun bronzed his face.
7.
Printing.
  1. to apply a fine metallic powder to (the ink of a printed surface) in order to create a glossy effect.
  2. to apply a fine metallic powder to (areas of a reproduction proof on acetate) in order to increase opacity.
adjective
8.
having the color bronze.
Origin
1730-40; < French < Italian, of obscure origin
Related forms
bronzy, bronzelike, adjective
prebronze, adjective
quasi-bronze, adjective
unbronzed, adjective
Examples from the web for bronze
  • But there she is, immortalized in bronze, opposite parliament.
  • The path and ribbons of pink and bronze draw the eye up the steep backyard embankment.
  • The entire structure would have been built with bronze tools.
  • The device consisted of a weight delicately suspended in a large bronze urn, ringed by dragons with hinged jaws.
  • The final product is infused with bronze and oven-cured.
  • One way he's being immortalized is in bronze and stone.
  • He began sculpting in plaster before turning to bronze, wood and stone.
  • The names of the dead are inscribed in the bronze that surrounds the pools.
  • He first carved in wood and stone, before moving on to bronze casts of clay models.
  • There is no prize money on offer: athletes compete only for the glory of gold, silver and bronze.
British Dictionary definitions for bronze

bronze

/brɒnz/
noun
1.
  1. any hard water-resistant alloy consisting of copper and smaller proportions of tin and sometimes zinc and lead
  2. any similar copper alloy containing other elements in place of tin, such as aluminium bronze, beryllium bronze, etc See also phosphor bronze, gunmetal Compare brass (sense 1)
2.
a yellowish-brown colour or pigment
3.
a statue, medal, or other object made of bronze
4.
short for bronze medal
adjective
5.
made of or resembling bronze
6.
of a yellowish-brown colour: a bronze skin
verb
7.
(esp of the skin) to make or become brown; tan
8.
(transitive) to give the appearance of bronze to
Derived Forms
bronzy, adjective
Word Origin
C18: from French, from Italian bronzo, perhaps ultimately from Latin Brundisium Brindisi, famed for its bronze
Word Origin and History for bronze
n.

1721, "alloy of copper and tin," from French bronze, from Italian bronzo, from Medieval Latin bronzium. Perhaps cognate (via notion of color) with Venetian bronza "glowing coals," or German brunst "fire." Perhaps influenced by Latin Brundisium the Italian town of Brindisi (Pliny writes of aes Brundusinum). Perhaps ultimately from Persian birinj "copper."

In Middle English, the distinction between bronze (copper-tin alloy) and brass (copper-zinc alloy) was not clear, and both were called bras. A bronze medal was given to a third-place finisher since at least 1852. The archaeological Bronze Age (1865) falls between the Stone and Iron ages, and is a reference to the principal material for making weapons and ornaments.

v.

1640s, literally, 1726 figuratively, from French bronzer (16c.) or else from bronze (n.). Related: Bronzed; bronzing. Meaning "to make to be bronze in color" is from 1792.

bronze in Science
bronze
  (brŏnz)   

  1. A yellow or brown alloy of copper and tin, sometimes with small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. Bronze is harder than brass and is used both in industry and in art.

  2. An alloy of copper and certain metals other than tin, such as aluminum.