Iron

Definition: Iron

Iron

Adjective

1. Extremely robust; "an iron constitution".

Noun

1. A heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood.

2. A golfclub that has a relatively narrow metal head.

3. Metal shackles; for hands or legs.

4. Implement used to brand live stock.

5. Home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth.

Verb

1. Press and smooth with a heated iron; "press your shirts".

Date "iron" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Specialty Definition: Iron

Domain	Definition
Computing	Iron n. Hardware, especially older and larger hardware of mainframe class with big metal cabinets housing relatively low-density electronics (but the term is also used of modern supercomputers). Often in the phrase big iron. Oppose silicon. See also dinosaur. Source: Jargon File.
Bible	Iron Tubal-Cain is the first-mentioned worker in iron (Gen. 4:22). The Egyptians wrought it at Sinai before the Exodus. David prepared it in great abundance for the temple (1 Chr. 22:3: 29:7). The merchants of Dan and Javan brought it to the market of Tyre (Ezek. 27:19). Various instruments are mentioned as made of iron (Deut. 27:5; 19:5; Josh. 17:16, 18; 1 Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 2 Kings 6:5, 6; 1 Chr. 22:3; Isa. 10:34). Figuratively, a yoke of iron (Deut. 28:48) denotes hard service; a rod of iron (Ps. 2:9), a stern government; a pillar of iron (Jer. 1:18), a strong support; a furnace of iron (Deut. 4:20), severe labour; a bar of iron (Job 40:18), strength; fetters of iron (Ps. 107:10), affliction; giving silver for iron (Isa. 60:17), prosperity. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.
Chemical Industry	To smooth or press with a heated iron, as clothes, linens, etc. Source: European Union. (references)
Chemistry	Chemical element:atomic number 26. Source: European Union. (references)
Dream Interpretation	To dream of iron, is a harsh omen of distress. To feel an iron weight bearing you down, signifies mental perplexities and material losses. To strike with iron, denotes selfishness and cruelty to those dependent upon you. To dream that you manufacture iron, denotes that you will use unjust means to accumulate wealth. To sell iron, you will have doubtful success, and your friends will not be of noble character. To see old, rusty iron, signifies poverty and disappointment. To dream that the price of iron goes down, you will realize that fortune is a very unsafe factor in your life. If iron advances, you will see a gleam of hope in a dark prospectus. To see red-hot iron in your dreams, denotes failure for you by misapplied energy. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted ....
Literature	Iron The hieroglyphic for iron is which denotes "gold at the bottom" (O), only its upper part is too sharp, volatile, and half corrosive this being taken away, iron would become gold. Iron is called Mars. Strike while the iron is hot. "Battre le fer pendant qu'il est chaud." Make hay while the sun shines. To have many irons in the fire. To have many affairs in hand. If you have too many irons in the fire, some will burn. If you have more affairs in hand than you can properly attend to, some of them will be neglected and turn out badly. Both these locutions refer to the "heaters" or irons employed in laundries. If the "heater" is too hot, it will scorch the linen. To rule with a rod of iron. To rule tyrannically. "Gouverner avec une verge de fer." Iron (See Pig Iron .). Source: Brewer's Dictionary.
Mechanical Engineering	In chain saws, that part of the(cutter)link that does the actual cutting. Source: European Union. (references)
Metallurgy	A metallic element, found in the earth's crust in combination with other materials, from which pig iron and steel are made. Source: European Union. (references)
Mining	A. Iron-base materials not falling into the steel classifications. See also:gray cast iron; ingot iron; malleable cast iron; nodular cast iron; white cast iron; wrought iron b. Colloquially, all derrick and drilling equipment above the heads of the workers on the drill platform c. Any ferrous metal tool or part that must be fished from a borehole. Also called junk d. An isometric mineral, native alpha-Fe ; metallic steel gray to black; sp gr, 7.3 to 7.9. Occurs as grains in basalt in Disko Island, Greenland; in meteorites, and in placers on South Island, New Zealand; and in Oregon and British Columbia. Nickel is commonly reported in iron in quantities up to several percent; meteoric iron generally contains at least 5%, and up to 25% to 65%, nickel. Because of the instability of iron under oxidizing conditions and the abundance of oxygen in the Earth's crust and atmosphere, practically all terrestrial iron occurs in the divalent (ferrous) or trivalent (ferric) state combined with other metals and nonmetallic elements in silicates, oxides, sulfides, etc. e. Fourth most abundant element, by weight, making up the crust of the Earth. Symbol, Fe. The most common ore is hematite, Fe2 O3 , from which the metal is obtained by reduction with carbon. Iron is the cheapest and most abundant, useful, and important of all metal. (references)
Slang in 1811	IRON. Money in general. To polish the king's iron with one's eyebrows; to look out of grated or prison windows, or, as the Irishman expresses them, the iron glass windows. Iron doublet; a prison. See STONE DOUBLET. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.
Statistics	Iron and steel industry. In order to correctly report the use of fuels(coke, coal(PCI), natural gas, oil)used in blast furnaces, the part of the fuel that contributes to blast furnace gas(i. e. , about one-third)is reported in the transformation sector and the part consumed(i. e. , about two-thirds)is reported in the iron and steel industry. Source: European Union. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Iron

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

zh-cn:铁

Manganese - Iron - Cobalt

Fe
Ru

Full table

General

Name, Symbol, Number Iron, Fe, 26

Chemical series transition metal

Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4 , d

Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m³, 4.0

Appearance lustrous metallic
with a greyish tinge

Atomic Properties

Atomic weight 55.845 amu

Atomic radius (calc.) 140 (156) pm

Covalent radius 125 pm

van der Waals radius no information

Electron configuration [Ar]3dCaCO3d⁶4s²

e^- 's per energy level 2, 8, 14, 2

Oxidation states (Oxide) 2,3,4,6 (amphoteric)

Crystal structure Cubic, body centered

Physical Properties

State of matter solid (ferromagnetic)

Melting point 1808 K (2795 °F)

Boiling point 3023 K (4982 °F)

Molar volume 7.09 ×1010^-3 m³/mol

Heat of vaporization 349.6 kJ/mol

Heat of fusion 13.8 kJ/mol

Vapor pressure 7.05 Pa at 1808 K

Speed of sound 4910 m/s at 293.15 K

Miscellaneous

Electronegativity 1.83 (Pauling scale)

Specific heat capacity 440 J/(kg*K)

Electrical conductivity 9.93 10⁶/m ohm

Thermal conductivity 80.2 W/(m*K)

1^st ionization potential 762.5 kJ/mol

2^nd ionization potential 1561.9 kJ/mol

3^rd ionization potential 2957 kJ/mol

4^th ionization potential 5290 kJ/mol

Most Stable Isotopes

iso NA half-life DM DE MeV DP

⁵⁴Fe 5.8% Fe is stable with 28 neutrons

⁵⁵Fe {syn.} 2.73 y ε capture 0.231 ⁵⁵Mn

⁵⁶Fe 91.72% Fe is stable with 30 neutrons

⁵⁷Fe 2.2% Fe is stable with 31 neutrons

⁵⁸Fe 0.28% Fe is stable with 32 neutrons

⁵⁹Fe {syn.} 44.503 d &beta 1.565 ⁵⁹Co

⁶⁰Fe {syn.} 1.5E⁶ y &beta^- 3.978 ⁶⁰Co

SI units & STP are used except where noted.

Iron is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is group 8 and period 4 metal.

Notable Characteristics
A typical iron atom has 56 times the mass of a typical hydrogen atom. Iron is believed to be the 10th most common element in the universe. Fe is an abbreviation for ferrum, the Latin word for iron.
Iron is a metal extracted from iron ore, and is hardly ever found in the free (elemental) state. In order to obtain elemental iron, the impurities must be removed by chemical reduction. Iron is used in the production of steel, which is not an element but an alloy, a solution of different metals (and some non-metals, particularly carbon).
The nucleus of iron has the highest binding energy per nucleon, so it is the heaviest element that is produced exothermically through fusion and the lightest through fission. When a star that has sufficient mass to produce iron does so, it can no longer produce energy in its core and a supernova will ensue.
Iron is the most common metal in the universe.
Cosmological models with an open universe predict that there will be a phase where as a result of slow fusion and fission reactions, everything will become iron.

Applications
Iron is the most used of all the metals, comprising 95 percent of all the metal tonnage produced worldwide. Its combination of low cost and high strength make it indispensable, especially in applications like automobiles, the hullss of large ships, and structural components for buildings. Steel is the best known alloy of iron, and some of the forms that iron takes include:

Pig iron has 4% - 5% carbon and contains varying amounts of contaminants such as sulfur, silicon and phosphorus. Its only significance is that of an intermediate step on the way from iron ore to cast iron and steel.
cast iron contains 2% - 3.5% carbon and small amounts of manganese. Contaminants present in pig iron that negatively affect the material properties, such as sulphur and phosphorus, have been reduced to an acceptable level. It has a melting point in the range of 1420-1470 K, which is lower than either of its two main components, and makes it the first product to be melted when carbon and iron are heated together. It is extremely strong, hard and brittle. Working cast iron, even white hot cast iron, tends to break the object.
Carbon steel contains between 0.5% and 1.5% carbon, with small amounts of manganese, sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon.
Wrought iron contains less than 0.5% carbon. It is a tough, malleable product, not as fusible as pig iron. It has a very small amount of carbon, a few tenths of a percent. If honed to an edge, it loses it quickly.
Alloy steels contain varying amounts of carbon as well as other metals, such as chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, etc.
Ferric oxides are used in the production of magnetic storage in computers. They are often mixed with other compounds, and retain their magnetic properties in solution.

History
The first signs of use of iron come from the Sumerians and the Egyptians, where around 4000 BC, small items, such as the tips of spears and ornaments, were being fashioned from iron recovered from meteorites.
By 3000 BC to 2000 BC, increasing numbers of smelted iron objects (distinguishable from meteoric iron by the lack of nickel in the product) appear in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Egypt. However, their use appears to be ceremonial, and iron was an expensive metal, more expensive than gold. Some resources (see the reference What Caused the Iron Age? below) suggest that iron was being created then as a by-product of copper refining, as sponge iron, and was not reproducible by the metallurgy of the time. By 1600 BC to 1200 BC, iron was used increasingly in the Middle East, but did not supplant the dominant use of bronze.

Axe of iron from Swedish Iron Age, found at
Gotland, Sweden
In the period from the 12th to 10th century, there was a rapid transition in the Middle East from bronze to iron tools and weapons. The critical factor in this transition does not appear to be the sudden onset of a superior ironworking technology, but instead the disruption of the supply of tin. This period of transition, which occurred at different times in different parts of the word, is the ushering in of an age of civilization called the Iron Age.
Concurrent with the transition from bronze to iron was the discovery of carburization, which was the process of adding carbon to the irons of the time. Iron was recovered as sponge iron, a mix of iron and slag with some carbon and/or carbide, which was then repeatedly hammered and folded over to free the mass of slag and oxidise out carbon content, so creating the product wrought iron. Wrought iron was very low in carbon content and was not easily hardened by quenching. The people of the Middle East found that a much harder product could be created by the long term heating of a wrought iron object in a bed of charcoal, which was then quenched in water or oil. The resulting product, which had a surface of steel, was harder and less brittle than the bronze it began to replace.
In China the first irons used were also meteoric iron, with archeological evidence for items made of wrought iron appearing in the northwest, near Xinjiang, in the 8th century BC. These items were made of wrought iron, created by the same processes used in the Middle East and Europe, and were thought to be imported by non-Chinese people.
In the later years of the Zhou Dynasty (ca 550 BC), a new iron manufacturing capability began because of a highly developed kiln technology. Producing blast furnaces capable of temperatures exceeding 1300 K, the Chinese developed the manufacture of cast, or pig iron. If iron ores are heated with carbon to 1420-1470 K, a molten liquid is formed, an alloy of about 96.5% iron and 3.5% carbon. This product is strong, can be cast into intricate shapes, but is too brittle to be worked, unless the product is decarburized to remove most of the carbon. The vast majority of Chinese iron manufacture, from the Zhou dynasty onward, was of cast iron. Iron, however, remained a pedestrian product, used by farmers for hundreds of years, and did not really affect the nobility of China until the Qin dynasty (ca 221 BC).
Cast iron development lagged in Europe, as the smelters could only achieve temperatures of about 1000 K. Through a good portion of the Middle Ages, in Western Europe, iron was still being made by the working of sponge iron into wrought iron. Some of the earliest casting of iron in Europe occurred in Sweden, in two sites, Lapphyttan and Vinarhyttan, between 1150 and 1350 AD. There are suggestions by scholars that the practice may have followed the Mongols across Russia to these sites, but there is no clear proof of this hypothesis. In any event, by the late fourteenth century, a market for cast iron goods began to form, as a demand developed for cast iron cannonballs.
Early iron smelting (as the process is called) used charcoal as both the heat source and the reducing agent. In 18th century England, wood supplies ran down and coke, a fossil fuel, was used as an alternative. This innovation by Abraham Darby supplied the energy for the Industrial Revolution.
Occurrence
Iron is one of the more common elements on Earth, making up about 5% of the Earth's crust.
Iron is extracted from the ore hematite, which is mainly Fe₂O₃. The iron is separated from the ore by reduction with carbon - a more reactive element. This process takes place in a blast furnace at temperatures of about 2000°C.
First coke, mainly carbon, is entered in to the furnace and reacts with the oxygen to form carbon dioxide:

C + O₂ → CO₂

Then the carbon dioxide reacts with more carbon to form carbon monoxide:

CO₂ + C → 2CO

Carbon monoxide goes on to actually react with the haematite ore:

3CO + Fe₂O₃ → 2Fe + 3CO₂

The iron is tapped off as a liquid. However it is still not pure, the main impurity being sand (silicon dioxide). This is reacted with limestone (CaCO₃) to form slag First the limestone (₃) is decomposed to calcium monoxide and carbon dioxide:

CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂

Then the calcium monoxide reacts with the silicon dioxide forming slag, which can be used for road-building or fertiliser:

CaO + SiO₂ → CaSiO₃

Approximately 1100Mt (million tons) of iron ore was produced in the world in 2000, with a gross market value of approximately 25 billion US dollars. While ore production occurs in 48 countries, the five largest producers were China, Brazil, Australia, Russia and India, accounting for 70% of world iron ore production. The 1100Mt of iron ore was used to produce approximately 572Mt of pig iron.

Compounds
Common oxidation states of iron include:
the ferrous state, Fe⁺²,
the ferric state, Fe⁺³,
the ferryl state, Fe⁺⁴, stabilized in some enzymes (e.g. peroxidases).
Iron (VI) is also known, if rare. In the form of potassium-ferrate (K₂FeO₄) it is a selective oxidizer for primary alcohols. The solid is only stable under vacuum and dark purple in both (caustic) solution and as a solid.
iron carbide Fe₃C is known as cementite.
see also iron oxide

Biology
Essential in animals, where iron is the central atom in the heme molecule, and therefore an essential component of all hemoproteins. Inorganic iron is also found in the iron-sulfur clusters of many enzymes.
Bacteria often use iron. When the body is fighting a bacterial infection, the body "hides" iron so it cannot be used by the bacteria.

Isotopes
Iron has four naturally-occurring stable isotopes, ⁵⁴Fe, ⁵⁶Fe, ⁵⁷Fe and ⁵⁸Fe. The relative abundances of the Fe isotopes in nature are approximately ⁵⁴Fe (5.8%), ⁵⁶Fe (91.7%), ⁵⁷Fe (2.2%) and ⁵⁸Fe (0.3%). ⁶⁰Fe is an extinct radionuclide which had a long half-life (1.5 Myr). Much of the past work on measuring the isotopic composition of Fe has centered on determining ⁶⁰Fe variations due to processes accompanying nucleosynthesis (i.e., meteorite studies) and ore formation. In phases of the meteorites Semarkona und Chervony Kut a correlation between the concentration of ⁶⁰Ni, the daughter product of ⁶⁰Fe, and the abundance of the stable iron isotopes could be found which is evidence for the existence of ⁶⁰Fe at time formation of solar system. Possibly the energy released by the decay of ⁶⁰Fe contributed, together with the energy released by decay of the radionuclide ²⁶Al, to the remelting and differentiation of asteroids after their formation 4.6 billion years ago. The abundance of ⁶⁰Ni present in extraterrestrial material may also provide further insight into the origin of the solar system and its early history. Of the stable isotopes, only ⁵⁷Fe has a nuclear spin (-1/2). For this reason, ⁵⁷Fe has application as a spin isotope in chemistry and biochemistry.

Precautions
Excessive dietary iron is toxic, because excess ferrous iron reacts with peroxides in the body, producing free radicals. When iron is in normal quantity, the body's own antioxidant mechanisms can control this process. In excess, uncontrollable quantities of free radicals are produced.
The lethal dose of iron in a 2 year old is about 3 grams of iron. One gram can induce severe poisoning. There are reported cases of children being poisoned by consuming between 10-50 tablets of ferrous sulfate over a few hour period. Overconsumption of iron is the single highest cause of death in children by unintentional ingestion of pharmaceuticals.
If iron intake is uncontrollably high, a disease results, called hemochromatosis. The iron excess accumulates in the liver, with siderosis and organ damage as a result. For this reason, people shouldn't take iron supplements unless they suffer from iron deficiency.
See also: ironing.

External links

WebElements.com - Iron
EnvironmentalChemistry.com - Iron
It's Elemental - Iron
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Iron."

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Iron Age

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Axe of iron from Swedish Iron Age, found at
Gotland, Sweden
The term Iron Age refers to the period in a civilisation's development at which time iron working was the most sophisticated form of metalworking achieved. Though well made bronze tools far surpass iron tools as far as hardness and utility are concerned the abundance of iron ore sources made iron cheap and contributed greatly to its adoption as the most common metalurgical process. The Iron Age is part of the Three-age system for prehistoric societies.

Earlier Bronze Age
Later Middle Ages and in parts of Europe, Roman occupation. In Sweden and partly in other nordic countries, the last part of the Iron Age (about 800 - 1100) is commonly called the Viking Age.

In Britain, the Iron Age lasted from about the 5th century BC (although some believe it to have started significantly later, around 1st century BC) to the 4th century AD. Defensive structures dating from this time are often impressive (for example, the brochs in Scotland). This is possibly because of greater tension between better structured groups, although there are suggestions that in the latter phases of the Iron Age they existed simply to indicate wealth. Either way, during periods of Roman occupation the evidence suggests the defensive structures served their purpose well. Many were re-used by later cultures, such as the Picts, in the early Medieval period.

Roman statuette of bronze
from Swedish Iron Age,
found at Öland
(larger image)
Structures:
Broch
Crannog
Dun
Fort
Roundhouse
Wag
Wheelhouse
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Iron Age."

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Iron County, Missouri

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Iron County is a county located in the U.S. State of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 10,697. Its county seat is Ironton⁶.
Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,430 km² (552 mi²). 1,428 km² (551 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.13% water.
Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 10,697 people, 4,197 households, and 2,963 families residing in the county. The population density is 7/km² (19/mi²). There are 4,907 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (9/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 96.74% White, 1.56% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 4,197 households out of which 32.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% are married couples living together, 9.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% are non-families. 25.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 2.94. In the county the population is spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.80 males. The median income for a household in the county is $26,080, and the median income for a family is $31,731. Males have a median income of $28,603 versus $16,615 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,227. 19.00% of the population and 13.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 27.60% are under the age of 18 and 13.20% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns

*Annapolis
*Arcadia
*Des Arc
*Ironton
*Pilot Knob
*Viburnum
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Iron County, Missouri."

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Ironing

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Ironing or smoothing is the work of using a heated tool to remove wrinkles from washed clothes. The common tools for this purpose are called "irons", though modern designs are no longer made of iron. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibres of the material. While the molecules are hot, the fibres are straightened by the weight of the iron, and they hold their new shape as they cool. Some fabrics, such as cotton, require the addition of water to loosen the intermolecular bonds. Many modern fabrics (developed in or after the mid-twentieth century) are advertised as needing little or no ironing.

History
Metal pans filled with charcoal were used for smoothing fabrics in China in the 1st century BC. From the 17th century, sadirons, thick slabs of cast iron, delta-shaped and with a handle, heated in a fire, began to be used in Europe. A later design consisted of an iron box which could be filled with hot coals, which had to be periodically aerated by attaching a bellows. This type was on sale in the USA until at least 1902.
In the industrialized world, these designs have been superseded by the electric iron, which uses resistive heating from an electric current. The hot plate, called the sole plate, is no longer made of iron but of aluminium, which is lighter. The heating element is controlled by a thermostat which switches the current on and off to maintain the selected temperature.
The invention of the resistively heated electric iron is credited to Henry W. Seeley of New York in 1882. In the same year an iron heated by a carbon arc was introduced in France, but was too dangerous to be successful. The first thermostatically controlled electric iron appeared in the 1920s.
In recent years, some people have invented the sport of Extreme Ironing, which consists of ironing clothing under creatively difficult circumstances.

Safe ironing temperatures

Linen: 230°C
Triacetate: 200°C
Cotton: 204°C
Viscose: 190°C
Wool: 148°C
Polyester: 148°C
Silk: 148°C
Acetate: 143°C
Acrylic: 135°C
Lycra/Spandex: 135°C
Nylon 6.6: 135°C
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Ironing."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Iron

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
Entry	Source	Expression	Field
IRE	English	Iron responsive element	Medicine
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Synonyms: Iron

Synonyms: cast-iron (adj), atomic number 26 (n), branding iron (n), chain (n), chains (n), irons (n), smoothing iron (n), iron out (v). (additional references)

Synonyms by domain: iron-on (sports & leisure).

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Synonyms within Context: Iron

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Hardness	Stone, pebble, flint, marble, rock, fossil, crag, crystal, quartz, granite, adamant; bone, cartilage; hardware; heart of oak, block, board, deal board; iron, steel; cast iron, decarbonized iron, wrought iron; nail; brick, concrete; cement.
Resolution	Adjective: resolved; Verb: determined; strong-willed, strong-minded; resolute; (brave); self-possessed; decided, definitive, peremptory, tranchant; unhesitating, unflinching, unshrinking; firm, iron, gritty, indomitable, game to the backbone; inexorable, relentless, not to be shaken, not to be put down; tenax propositi; inflexible; (hard); obstinate; steady; (persevering) a.
Smoothness	Verb: smooth, smoothen; plane; file; mow, shave; level, roll; macadamize; polish, burnish, calender, glaze; iron, hot-press, mangle; lubricate; (oil).
Strength	Adamant, steel, iron, oak, heart of oak; iron grip; grit, bone.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Iron

English words defined with "iron": alloy cast iron, alloy iron, alpha iron, Angle iron ♦ Bar iron, basic iron, Berlin iron, beta iron, Boom iron, Brand iron, Bridle iron, Brown iron ore ♦ Calking iron, Cast iron, Chinsing iron, climbing iron, Corrugated iron, Crimping iron ♦ Damascus iron, Decarbonized iron, delta iron, driving iron ♦ Fagot iron, five iron, Fluting iron ♦ galvanized iron, gamma iron, Gauffering iron, grappling iron, Gray iron ♦ Hawser iron, Hoop iron, Horse iron ♦ ingot iron, Iron Age, iron carbide, Iron clay, iron deficiency anaemia, iron deficiency anemia, iron disulfide, iron filing, Iron founder, iron foundry, Iron furnace, Iron hat, Iron liquor, iron maiden, iron ore, iron out, iron overload, iron pyrite, Iron sand, Iron scale, Iron works ♦ long iron ♦ Malleable iron, Malleable iron castings, Meteoric iron, Muck iron ♦ Ni-hard iron, nine iron, Ni-resist iron ♦ one iron ♦ Passive iron, Pig iron, Plate iron, Polishing iron, putting iron, Pyrophoric iron ♦ Reeming iron, Rub iron, Russia iron ♦ Sable iron, scrap iron, searing iron, seven iron, sheet iron, short iron, Silvery iron, smoothing iron, spiegel iron, steam iron, Steely iron, stirrup iron, stovepipe iron, structural iron, Stub iron, Sweating iron, Swedish iron ♦ T iron, Tamping iron, tank iron, Tee iron, travel iron, Tug iron, two iron ♦ Waffle iron, White iron, Wire iron, wrought iron. (references)

Specialty definitions using "iron": 2. wrought iron ♦ acid Bessemer pig iron ♦ banded iron formation, basic Bessemer pig iron, Bessemer Iron, Bessemer pig iron, big iron, bog iron ore, burnt iron ♦ charcoal pig iron, coke iron, COLD IRON ♦ electrolytic iron, electronic tramp iron detector, explosions from molten iron ♦ ferritic malleable cast iron, ferritic malleable iron, forge iron ♦ Gohi iron, graphitic cast iron ♦ hematite pig iron ♦ iron bacteria, iron box, Iron Chelating Agents, Iron Compounds, Iron Crown of Lombardy, Iron Duke, iron dust lung, Iron entered into his Soul, Iron Isotopes, Iron Maiden of Nuremberg, Iron Mask, iron monarch, iron oxide, iron oxide lung, iron oxides, iron pan, iron piler, iron puddler's cataract, Iron Radioisotopes, iron refining, iron runner, iron stain, iron steel, Iron, Dietary ♦ JUMP IRON ♦ Luke's Iron Crown ♦ malleable pig iron, Man in the Iron Mask, Man of Blood and Iron, manganiferous iron ore, Mayari iron, merchant iron, metallic iron, mottled iron ♦ nodular cast iron ♦ pea iron, pearlitic malleable iron, phosphoric pig iron, puddled iron ♦ refined cast iron, refined iron, rusty iron ♦ screen iron ore, semi-phosphoric pig iron, Sheet Iron, silvery pig iron, skelp iron, soft iron, spathic iron, spathose iron, SPLIT IRON, sponge iron powder, spongy iron, Strike while the Iron is Hot, sulfide of iron ♦ Thomas pig iron, tired iron, TOASTING IRON ♦ white cast iron, whiteheart malleable cast iron. (references)

Etymologies containing "iron": Yren. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Iron" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses.

Swedish (iron).

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Modern Usage: Iron

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	We will drive the machine of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fist of the orc. (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; writing credit: Frances Walsh) Hand wash, no bleach, tumble dry, medium heat, cool iron. (Monk; writing credit: Andy Breckman; David Breckman) John Major! The Iron Man, banishing those rebels to the wilderness (Drop the Dead Donkey; writing credit: Andy Hamilton; Guy Jenkin) He's about 455 yards away, he's gonna hit about a 2 iron I think (Caddyshack; writing credit: Brian Doyle-Murray; Harold Ramis) Yeah, yeah, I know - you close the iron door on me (Twentieth Century; writing credit: Charles Bruce Millholl; Ben Hecht)
Lyrics	Everybody's hard as iron (Method Of Modern Love; performing artist: Hall & oates) I want to ride in an iron wheel (Girl With the Hungry Eyes; performing artist: JEFFERSON STARSHIP) Cat's foot iron claw (21st CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN; performing artist: King Crimson) Mother has to iron his shirt (Our House; performing artist: Madness) One fist of iron, the other of steel ("Sixteen Tons"; performing artist: Tennessee Ernie Ford)
Clever	On packaging for a Rowenta iron: "Do not iron clothes on body. (references; author: unknown) Love is the only fire hot enough to melt the iron obstinacy of a creature's will. (references; author: unknown) The Iron Rule: Don't do for others what, given the chance, they wouldn't do for themselves. (references; author: unknown)
Movie/TV Titles	Bamboo Gods and Iron Men (1974) Blood of the Iron Maiden (1970) Iron Bread (1970) Men of Iron (1969) Iron Flood (1967)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Iron

Domain	Title
References	Chuo Malleable Iron Co., Ltd.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Iron Mountain Incorporated: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Kikukawa Iron Works, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Miyaji Iron Works Co., Ltd.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	Old Tractors Never Die: Roger's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Ageless Iron (reference) Agglomeration of iron ores (reference) Machiavelli on Modern Leadership : Why Machiavelli's Iron Rules Are As Timely and Important Today As Five Centuries Ago (reference) Iron in Aluminium Alloys: Impurity and Alloying Element (Advances in Metallic Alloys) (reference) The 2000 Import and Export Market for Iron, Steel, and Aluminium Structures in Oceana [DOWNLOAD: ADOBE READER] (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	American Iron Magazine (reference) Bulletin D Information Of The Arab Iron & Steel Union (reference) Ductile Iron Pipe News (reference) Primary Iron & Steel = Fer Et Acier Primaire (reference) Iron Horse Literary Review (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	Iron Monkey (reference) The Man in the Iron Mask (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Shadow Behind the Iron Sun (reference) Iron Night (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech	Hegemonia: Legions Of Iron (reference) Iron Storm (reference) Computer Tool Kit 21 Piece with pliers Wrnch Scrwdrvr Solder Iron (reference) (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Consumer Goods	Weller SP175 12-1/2" Marksman Extra Heavy Duty Soldering Iron (reference) (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Iron

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Photo Album: Iron

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	This is a scanning electron microscope image from normal circulating human blood. One can see red blood cells, several white blood cells including lymphocytes, a monocyte, a neutrophil, and many small disc-shaped platelets. Red cells are nonnucleated, and contain hemoglobin, containing iron an important protein which allows the cell to carry oxygen to other parts of the body. They also carry away carbon dioxide from the lungs. The infection-fighting white blood cells, are classified in 2 main groups: granular and agranular. Granulocytes are formed in bone marrow, agranulocytes are produced by lymph nodes and spleen. There are two types of agranulocytes: lymphocytes, fight disease by producing antibodies and thus destroying foreign material, and monocytes. Platelets are tiny cells formed in bone marrow and are necessary for blood clotting. Credit: Bruce Wetzel (photographer). Harry Schaefer (phot.		Pictured is src protein which is associated with Rous virus and is labeled with black iron particles. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer).
	Histopathology of lung showing ferruginous body. A fiber of asbestos or related substance is coated by an iron-protein complex and surrounded by macrophages. Prussian blue iron stain. Credit: CDC.		Collection of aids used by polio victims, including the iron lung. Credit: CDC.
	Iron Cross Attitude Simulator With Pilot. Credit: NASA.		Iron ore carrier departing Two Harbors area on Lake Superior. Credit: America's Coastlines.
	A map of the Iron Mountain Mine area. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.		A view of Redding, California from Iron Mountain. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.
	Yellow iron oxide comes from hydrothermal vents; white is bacterial mat. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).		Inactive hydrothermal chimneys made of iron oxide on Loihi volcano. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Iron


"Rod Iron" by Brad David Commentary: "Rod Iron structure with a tan wall."	"Iron man" by Joanka Betlej Commentary: "We have a great exhibiton of mitoraj's sculptures - and they are great!."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Sounds Captioned with "Iron".

Play	Caption
	Squash; flatten; smoosh; smash; abrade; beat down; bowl over; compress; crush; debase; deflate; depress; even out; fell; floor; flush; grade; ground; iron out; knock down; lay; lay low; level; mow down; plane; plaster; prostrate; raze; roll; smash; smooth.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Familiar Quotations: Iron

Author	Quotation
Alphonse De Lamartine	Habit with it's iron sinews, clasps us and leads us day by day.
Andrel Gromyko	Comrades, this man has a nice smile, but he's got iron teeth.
Antisthenes	As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion.
Charles V	Iron hand in a velvet glove.
Leonardo Da Vinci	Just as iron rusts from disuse, even so does inaction spoil the intellect.
Oliver Cromwell	Make the iron hot by striking it.
Publilius Syrus	You should hammer your iron when it is glowing hot.
Ralph Waldo Emerson	Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.
William Shakespeare	Soft pity enters an iron gate.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Historic Usage: Iron

Author	Date	Quotation
John Locke	1690	It would be a strange catalogue of things, that industry provided and made use of, about every loaf of bread, before it came to our use, if we could trace them; iron, wood, leather, bark, timber, stone, bricks, coals, lime, cloth, dying drugs, pitch, tar, masts, ropes, and all the materials made use of in the ship, that brought any of the commodities made use of by any of the workmen, to any part of the work; all which it would be almost impossible, at least too long, to reckon up. (Second Treatise of Government)
Treaty of Versailles	1919	The mandate given by Article 57 of the Treaty of Berlin of July 13, 1878, to Austria-Hungary, and transferred by her to Hungary to carry out works at the Iron Gates, is abrogated. (reference)
Winston S. Churchill	1946	In front of the iron curtain which lies across Europe are other causes for anxiety. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)
John F. Kennedy	1961	To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. (reference)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Use in Literature: Iron

Title	Author	Quote
A Christmas Carol	Dickens, Charles	Upon the floor within, were piled up heaps of rusty keys, nails, chains, hinges, files, scales, weights, and refuse iron of all kinds
Scarlet Letter	Hawthorne, Nathaniel	The very ideal of ignominy was embodied and made manifest in this contrivance of wood and iron.
Les Miserables	Hugo, Victor	The scaffold is not a mere frame, the scaffold is not a machine, the scaffold is not an inert piece of mechanism made of wood, of iron, and of ropes
Grapes of Wrath	Steinbeck, John	When the corrugated iron doors are shut, he goes home, and his home is not the land
Gulliver's Travels	Swift, Jonathan	I trebled the cable to make it stronger, and for the same reason I twisted three of the iron bars together, binding the extremities into a hook
Walden	Thoreau, Henry David	The stabler of the iron horse was up early this winter morning by the light of the stars amid the mountains, to fodder and harness his steed
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Iron

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Low iron levels or anemia. (references)
		Iron is an essential nutrient found in many foods. (references)
		Iron supplements will be ordered if you have anemia. (references)
Business		Valves are manufactured from local iron scrap. (references)
		Half the imported waste was iron scrap and plastic residues. (references)
		These projects include sites with iron, phosphate, bauxite, copper and zinc deposits. (references)
Children	Bulgaria	For example, as punishment, women were held in a cage made of iron bars and wire; the NGO observers noted that the cage floor was dirty with human excrement. (references)
	Pakistan	The International Labor Organization (ILO) reports that 8 percent of children suffer from iron deficiency and 30 to 40 percent of children in the country suffer from stunted growth. (references)
Economic History	Liberia	Iron production ceased entirely. (references)
Human Rights	Brazil	In April the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture testified to seeing iron bars and wooden sticks used to beat FEBEM inmates. (references)
	Brazil	With repique, after attempted escapes or rebellions, employees gather inmates and beat them with iron bars, sticks, and chains. (references)
	United Kingdom	The attackers have used iron pipes, baseball bats, sledgehammers, and spiked clubs to beat their victims or shot them in the knees and legs. (references)
Minorities	Slovak Republic	There was no progress during the year in a number of 2000 cases of violence against Roma, and others including, an August case in which Rom Jan Sudman was shot and injured while doing clean-up work in the public works program; a July case in which a group of 50 Roman armed with machetes, knives, axes, and iron rods allegedly forced a moving car to stop and attacked one of its occupants; a March case in which approximately 20 supporters of the skinhead movement attacked 2 Brazilians and 2 Angolans in Bratislava; and a January case in which a group of skinheads beat an African American citizen. (references)
Political Economy	Mauritania	Fish and iron ore are the country's main export-earners. (references)
	MALAYSIA	In April 1999, another licensing requirement was established for certain iron and steel products. (references)
Trade	Malaysia	Another license requirement was established in April 1999 for certain iron and steel products. (references)
	Sweden	After Sweden's entry into the European Union on January 1, 1995, import licenses are required for a number of commodities, especially textiles, steel and iron products, foodstuffs and live animals. (references)
	China	However, many products subject to import quotas also require import licenses, including some wool, grains, oilseeds and oilseed products, cotton, iron and steel products, commercial aircraft, passenger vehicles, fertilizer, hauling trucks, and rubber products. (references)
Women	Kuwait	In 2000 a Sri Lankan maid was beaten severely with a plastic water pipe, strangled with a wire, and repeatedly tortured with a hot iron, allegedly by a Kuwaiti couple who employed her. (references)
Worker Rights	United Arab Emirates	However, upon their arrival, their local sponsor seized their passports and locked them in a villa with iron grates on the windows. (references)
	Australia	This decision ended a long running dispute between BHP, which had refused to negotiate a collective agreement, and the iron ore miners. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	HEAD-:MONEY:, n. A capitation tax, or poll-tax. In ancient times there lived a king Whose tax-collectors could not wring From all his subjects gold enough To make the royal way less rough. For pleasure's highway, like the dames Whose premises adjoin it, claims Perpetual repairing. So The tax-collectors in a row Appeared before the throne to pray Their master to devise some way To swell the revenue. "So great," Said they, "are the demands of state A tithe of all that we collect Will scarcely meet them. Pray reflect: How, if one-tenth we must resign, Can we exist on t'other nine?" The monarch asked them in reply: "Has it occurred to you to try The advantage of economy?" "It has," the spokesman said: "we sold All of our gray garrotes of gold; With plated-ware we now compress The necks of those whom we assess. Plain iron forceps we employ To mitigate the miser's joy Who hoards, with greed that never tires, That which your Majesty requires." Deep lines of thought were seen to plow Their way across the royal brow. "Your state is desperate, no question; Pray favor me with a suggestion." "O King of Men," the spokesman said, "If you'll impose upon each head A tax, the augmented revenue We'll cheerfully divide with you." As flashes of the sun illume The parted storm-cloud's sullen gloom, The king smiled grimly. "I decree That it be so -- and, not to be In generosity outdone, Declare you, each and every one, Exempted from the operation Of this new law of capitation. But lest the people censure me Because they're bound and you are free, 'Twere well some clever scheme were laid By you this poll-tax to evade. I'll leave you now while you confer With my most trusted minister." The monarch from the throne-room walked And straightway in among them stalked A silent man, with brow concealed, Bare-armed -- his gleaming axe revealed! G.J.
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Spoken Usage: Iron

Speaker	Phrase(s)
Don Rickles	Well, let me tell you this. I used to sit in his dressing room, and he would have a nine iron in his hand. And I'd say, you know, Dean, tomorrow the wife and I are going to go to New York and we're going to have wonderful time.
Martha Stewart	I cook. I still clean. I iron. But I iron because I want to know what it really takes to iron now. I just got myself one of those big new hotel ironing machines that can iron, you know, five napkins at the same time in one big sheet.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Speeches: Iron

Speaker	Term	Phrase(s)
John F. Kennedy	1961-1963	To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny.
Lyndon B. Johnson	1963-1969	We seek not fidelity to an iron faith, but a diversity of belief as varied as man himself.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Usage Frequency: Iron

"Iron" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 94.50% of the time. "Iron" is used about 4,539 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	94.5%	4,289	2,298
Lexical Verb (infinitive)	2.82%	128	28,261
Noun (proper)	2.31%	105	31,781
Lexical Verb (base form)	0.37%	17	85,106
Total	100.00%	4,539	N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Iron

The following table summarizes the usage of "iron" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified.

Name	Usage/Gender	Usage per 100 million Persons	Rank in USA
Iron	Last name	200	37,758
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Iron

The following table summarizes names derived from the word "iron".
Name	Gender	Language	Meaning
Barzillai	N/A	Biblical	Made of iron
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Usage in Company Names: Iron

Country	Name	Country	Name
China	Maanshan Iron And Steel Company Ltd	Egypt	Alexandria National Iron and Steel Company (ANSDK)
India	Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd.	Japan	Chuo Malleable Iron Co., Ltd.
Netherlands

Iron

Definition: Iron

Iron

Adjective

Noun

Verb

Specialty Definition: Iron

Specialty Definition: Iron

History

Biology

Iron Age

Iron County, Missouri

Geography

Demographics

Cities and towns

Ironing

Abbreviations & Acronyms: Iron

Synonyms: Iron

Synonyms within Context: Iron

Hardness

Resolution

Smoothness

Strength

Crosswords: Iron

Modern Usage: Iron

Screenplays

Lyrics

Clever

Movie/TV Titles

Commercial Usage: Iron

References

Books

Periodicals

Theater & Movies

Music

High Tech

Consumer Goods

Image Slideshow: Iron

Photos:Iron

Illustrations:Iron

Computer Images:Iron

Photo Album: Iron

Digital Photo Gallery: Iron

Sounds Captioned with "Iron".

Familiar Quotations: Iron

Alphonse De Lamartine

Andrel Gromyko

Antisthenes

Charles V

Leonardo Da Vinci

Oliver Cromwell

Publilius Syrus

Ralph Waldo Emerson

William Shakespeare

Historic Usage: Iron

John Locke

Treaty of Versailles

Winston S. Churchill

John F. Kennedy

Use in Literature: Iron

A Christmas Carol

Dickens, Charles

Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck, John

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, Jonathan

Walden

Thoreau, Henry David

Non-Fiction Usage: Iron

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

Spoken Usage: Iron

Don Rickles

Martha Stewart

Speeches: Iron

John F. Kennedy

Photos:
Iron

Illustrations:
Iron

Computer Images:
Iron