Meaning & use
metallurgy
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalspecialist
The science and technology of getting metals from the ground, refining them, and studying how their structure affects their properties.
Grammar: Uncountable, so no 'a metallurgy'; use 'a branch of metallurgy' or 'the study of metallurgy'.
Patterns
- study metallurgy
- a branch of metallurgy
- an expert in metallurgy
She studied metallurgy at university to work in the steel industry.
Advances in metallurgy made lighter and stronger aircraft possible.
The museum explains the history of metallurgy from bronze tools to modern alloys.
noununcountablespecialist
The practice of working with metals, such as shaping, heating and combining them, to make useful objects.
Grammar: Often used for craft or industrial skill, as in 'ancient metallurgy'.
Patterns
- ancient metallurgy
- the metallurgy of something
Early metallurgy allowed people to make stronger tools from copper and tin.
The village was famous for its metallurgy, and smiths there made swords and plows.
Common combinations
- study metallurgy
- Many engineers study metallurgy before working in mining.
- extractive metallurgy
- Extractive metallurgy deals with removing metals from their ores.
- physical metallurgy
- Physical metallurgy studies how a metal's structure affects its strength.
- powder metallurgy
- Powder metallurgy shapes parts from fine metal dust.
- ancient metallurgy
- Ancient metallurgy included making bronze from copper and tin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- metalworking
- This is wider and plainer, covering the hands-on shaping of metal, while 'metallurgy' includes the science of its properties.
- smelting
- This names only one step, melting ore to get the metal out, while 'metallurgy' is the whole field.
- materials science
- This covers plastics, ceramics and more, and metallurgy is the metal-focused part of it.
Word family
- metallurgist noun
- a person who works in or studies metallurgy
- metallurgical adjective
- relating to metallurgy
- metallurgically adverb
- in a way that relates to metallurgy
- metal noun
- a hard material such as iron or copper
Commonly confused: metallurgy or mineralogy? metallurgy or metallography?
metallurgy vs mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of minerals and rocks, while metallurgy deals with metals and how they are extracted and used.
metallurgy vs metallography
Metallography is the study of metal structure under a microscope, one part of metallurgy.
Practice
An engineer who studies how heat treatment changes the strength of steel is working in ____.
Choose one answer.
Metallurgy covers how metals are processed and how their structure changes their properties. Mineralogy studies minerals, and meteorology studies weather.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “metallurgy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.