yellow metal
- noun
- /ˈjɛloʊ ˈmɛtəl/
- Specialized
:
metal amarillo
- For the project, we decided to opt for yellow metal due to its strength and durability.
Examples
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The sculptor used yellow metal to create a stunning statue that would last for generations.
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They were flat, one of them of yellow metal, square with rounded corners, the other two thick disks.
Fiction book (1990) -
Dad reaches into the milk crate and heaves out a rectangular object made of yellow metal.
Fiction book (1995) -
The jewelry shop displayed a beautiful ring made of yellow metal, attracting many customers.
Synonyms
A strong metal made from copper and zinc used to make cast parts like boat fittings and bolts
A strong brass made with more zinc, used for cast parts and hot work
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'yellow' (a color) + 'metal' (a metallic substance), so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer it refers to a metal that is yellow in appearance. While the entry’s technical sense (a specific brass alloy) is specialised, the basic meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and is cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
Yellow metal comes from the bright yellow look of the metal, which often made people think of gold. One popular story says makers used that name for a strong kind of brass with extra zinc, so today 'yellow metal' means 'a type of brass used for cast parts and for pieces shaped while hot'.