Etymograph

English

metal

Metal comes from Old French metal ‘metal (material)’, and goes back to Ancient Greek μέτᾰλλον ‘a mine, quarry, or salt pit’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτᾰλλον1métăllon‘a mine’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmetallum1‘metal’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400metal1‘metal’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500metal1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599metal1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English metal
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Leonato. Well, neece, I hope to ſee you one…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτᾰλλονWiktionary, English metalmétăllon‘a mine’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmetallumWiktionary, English metal‘metal’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400metalWiktionary, English metal‘metal’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500metalWiktionary, English metal
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599metalWiktionary, English metal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Leonato. Well, neece, I hope to ſee you one…”

Every English word from Ancient Greek μέτᾰλλον

Today it means

noun Any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard, often a conductor of heat and electricity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “metal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek μέτᾰλλον / metal

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