white metal
- noun
- Specialized
:
metal blanco
- Many modern engines now use white metal as a standard material for various machine parts.
This is a white metal tin with black accents and it says dog food on it.
- This is a white metal tin with black accents and it says dog food on it.
- And I was saying in the video of the key in to hominoptra that it's cast in white metal.
Examples
-
When repairing the machinery, they opted for white metal due to its excellent friction properties.
-
This is a white metal tin with black accents and it says dog food on it.
-
The technician recommended using white metal for the bearings because of its durability against wear.
Synonyms
A metal made by mixing metals that helps machine parts move smoothly
How Durable
- Specialized
1
5.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a direct composition of 'white' (a pale/silver-like color) + 'metal' (a metallic substance), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a metal that looks white or silvery. Although the precise technical sense (a tin/lead alloy used for bearings) is specialized and not predictable, the basic descriptive meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
The noun white metal likely comes from the metal's pale, shiny look, so people called the soft, silvery material white metal. This metal is a mix of metals used as a thin lining in 'bearings' and other parts that rub together, so the phrase now means 'a silvery mix of metals used to stop machine parts from wearing out'.