Metallic Meaning
/mɪˈtæl.ɪk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf, relating to, or characteristic of metal.
adjMade of or containing metal.
Sentence Examples
Plutonium has a metallic taste.
Tea, drunk from a new thermos, tastes a little metallic.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The coin had a shiny ____ surface that reflected the bright light.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The car had a shiny ____ finish that glowed brightly whenever the afternoon sun hit it just right.
Word Origin & History
From Latin metallicus, from metallum (“metal”), from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon). Equivalent to metal + -ic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The Lethrblaka's blood, to Eragon's astonishment, was a metallic blue-green, not unlike the verdigris that forms on aged copper."
— 2008, Christopher Paolini, “Assault on Helgrind”, in Brisingr, page 44:
"[…] and, lo ! a palace towering ſeems, / With Parian pillars and metallic beams."
— a. 1712, William King, “Rufinus: Or, The Favourite”, in The Works of the English Poets, volume XX, page 374:
"These chemical distinctions then, to which we have referred, are quite independent of physical condition. For instance, amongst the most metallic of the metals is a gas."
— 1878, Sir Norman Lockyer, “On Dissociation”, in Studies in Spectrum Analysis, page 167:
"Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) has introduced a bill to address power outages caused by metallic film balloons when they come into contact with powerlines."
— 2018 February 14, “Reducing Power Outages Caused by Metallic Balloons is Focus of Bill Introduced Today”, in California State Assembly Democratic Caucus, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2020:
"No sooner had these syllables passed my lips, than—as if a shield of brass had indeed, at the moment, fallen heavily upon a floor of silver—I became aware of a distinct, hollow, metallic and clangorous, yet apparently muffled reverberation."
— 1839, Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in Tales, London: Wiley & Putnam, published 1846, page 81:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The coin had a shiny ____ surface that reflected the bright light.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The car had a shiny ____ finish that glowed brightly whenever the afternoon sun hit it just right.