metal filing
1
5.5
- noun
- /ˈmɛtəl ˈfaɪlɪŋ/
:
viruta metálica
- To clean the machine, he used a magnet to collect all the metal filings from the surface.
Examples
-
There was a smell of oil and metal filings in the air.
Fiction book (1993) -
So this, this little shield acts as a kind of a, it acts to keep metal filings from falling into the machine.
-
Sometimes he wondered if his body naturally attracted projectiles and sharp instruments the way a magnet draws metal filings.
Fiction book (1999) -
The craftsman swept up the metal filings left on the workbench after shaping the metal.
-
After filing down the metal, he noticed several tiny metal filings scattered around.
Synonyms
9
5.5
Small thin pieces of metal or wood made when someone rubs a surface with a rough tool
2
3.8
A tiny piece of iron that comes off metal when you scrape it, used to show how magnets work
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small shaving of metal created by filing' is directly and compositionally derived from 'metal' (the material) + 'filing' (a tiny shaving produced by filing). This straightforward noun–noun combination follows regular English compounding and a B1 learner who knows both senses can readily infer the intended meaning (any administrative sense of 'filing' is disambiguated by 'metal').
Etymology
Metal filing comes from the action of using a file on metal: tiny bits are scraped off and become filings. That's why the phrase means 'a small piece of metal removed by a file'.