chrome

[krohm] /kroʊm/

noun

chromium.

chromium-plated or other bright metallic trim, as on an automobile.

(of dyeing) the dichromate of potassium or sodium.

Photography. a positive color transparency; kodachrome.

verb (used with object), chromed, chroming.

(of dyeing) to subject to a bath of dichromate of potassium or sodium.

to plate (metal) with a compound of chromium.

to treat or tan (a hide or leather) with a chromium compound.

Origin

1790-1800; < French < Greek chrôma color; (in defs 1, 2, 6, 7) shortened form of chromium

Related forms

multichrome, noun

unchromed, adjective

-chrome

variant of chrom- as the final element of a compound word:

polychrome.

Examples from the web for chrome

Maroon top and gray bottom with chrome return and trim.
He wears short beige shorts, and he keeps two hunting rifles, a shotgun and a shiny chrome revolver in his gun cabinet.
It had hood scoops, rumbling exhausts, and chrome wheels.
Tendrils of smoke curled from the peat ground cover and floated into the chrome yellow sky.
Fabulous new paint, new chrome and stainless steel big bore exhaust system.
Three crystalline liquor bottles glint in the sunlight refracted by a chrome lamp.
Its overall look is rougher, with less chrome and gloss, and more dirt and ash.
Customers sat in old chrome seats with their heads tilted back, while barbers in white smocks trimmed their hair.
chrome bags are usually pricey, but they are also expected to last forever.
The chrome ledge at the bottom is less-prominent compared to past models.

British Dictionary definitions for chrome

chrome

/krəʊm/

noun

another word for chromium, esp when present in a pigment or dye
(as modifier): a chrome dye

anything plated with chromium, such as fittings on a car body

a pigment or dye that contains chromium

verb

to plate or be plated with chromium, usually by electroplating

to treat or be treated with a chromium compound, as in dyeing or tanning

Word Origin

C19: via French from Greek khrōma colour

-chrome

combining form, combining form

colour, coloured, or pigment: monochrome

Word Origin

from Greek khrōma colour

Word Origin and History for chrome

1800, "chromium," from French chrome, the name proposed by Fourcroy and Haüy for a new element, from Greek khroma "color" (see chroma); so called because it makes colorful compounds. The name was given to the metallic element now known as chromium (which had been isolated 1798 by French chemist Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin); it continued in commercial use in English for "chrome steel" (steel with 2 percent or so chrome) after the chemical name was changed internationally. As a short form of chromium plating it dates from 1937. Related: Chromic.

chrome in Medicine

chrome (krōm)
n.
Chromium, especially as a source of pigment.

chrome in Technology

jargon
(From automotive slang via wargaming) Showy features added to attract users but contributing little or nothing to the power of a system.
"The 3D icons in Motif are just chrome, but they certainly are *pretty* chrome!"
Chrome is distinguished from bells and whistles by the fact that the latter are usually added to gratify developers' own desires for featurefulness. Often used as a term of contempt and sometimes used in conjunction with 'fluff', "all the fluff and chrome that comes with Motif".
[Jargon File]
(1997-09-19)