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Glite Dictionary
red brass

red brass

4.1
A metal made mostly of copper that looks reddish and is used for pipes and cheap jewelry
  • noun
  • /rɛd bræs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : latón rojo
  • Many inexpensive jewelry pieces are made from red brass due to its attractive color.

Examples

  • For her new project, she chose red brass for its resistance to corrosion and appealing hue.

  • These precision-engineered products are available in corrosion-resistant red brass in sizes from 1/4 in. to 3 in., and also in 3 in.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The plumber used red brass fittings to ensure a durable connection in the piping system.

Synonyms

guinea gold
vsred brass
  • Archaic
9.4

A reddish brass metal often used for cheap jewelry and fittings

is the same material but is a different name for it

Surface Forms

red brass singular
red brasses plural

Morphology

red + brass

The phrase denotes a type of brass that is reddish in color due to higher copper content, so its meaning is directly compositional from 'red' (a color) + 'brass' (the metal/alloy). This clear adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Red brass names a kind of brass that has a lot of 'copper', so the metal looks warm and slightly red. That's why the name refers to a reddish, affordable metal often used for pipes, small hardware, and cheap jewelry.