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Glite Dictionary
type metal

type metal

8.4
A mix of three metals like lead and tin that printers use to make letters for printing
  • noun
  • /taɪp ˈmɛtəl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : metal tipo
  • Type metal was ladled from a heated cauldron using a dipper a little bigger than a thimble.

Examples

  • The printers used type metal to create the letters for the old-fashioned printing press.

  • Crafting type metal requires a precise mixture of lead, tin, and antimony for durability.

  • To make high-quality printed materials, the workshop relied on type metal for casting the type.

Surface Forms

type metal singular
type metals plural

Morphology

type + metal

The meaning 'an alloy used for making printing type' is directly compositional from 'type' (printing letters/blocks) + 'metal' (an alloy/material). This follows a regular noun+noun compounding pattern and, while somewhat specialized, is predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses.

Etymology

Type metal comes from old printing shops where workers melted a mix of metals and poured it into tiny letter molds to make the raised type, the small blocks that carry the printed 'letters'. So type metal means 'the metal used to make printing type'.