tin

¹tin

noun \ˈtin\

Definition of TIN

1

: a soft faintly bluish-white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used especially in containers, as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys — see element table

2

a : a box, can, pan, vessel, or a sheet made of tinplate; broadly : such a container of any metal (as aluminum)

b : a metal container and its contents <a tin of tomatoes>

— tin adjective

— tin·ful \-ˌfu̇l\ noun

Examples of TIN

1. <row upon row of tins containing food for an emergency that never happened>

Origin of TIN

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German zin tin

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to TIN

Synonyms

barrel, canister (also cannister), drum, can

Related Words

bucket, pail; cannikin; tin can

Rhymes with TIN

bin, blin, chin, din, fin, Finn, Fyn, gin, grin, Gwyn, hin, in, inn, kin, linn, Lynn, pin, shin, Shin, sin, skin, spin, thin, twin, whin, win, wynn, yin, zin

²tin

transitive verb

tinnedtin·ning

Definition of TIN

1

: to cover or plate with tin or a tin alloy

2

: to put up or pack in tins : can <tinned peaches>

First Known Use of TIN

14th century

TIN

abbreviation

Definition of TIN

taxpayer identification number

tin

noun \ˈtin\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of TIN

: a soft faintly bluish white lustrous low-melting crystalline metallic element that is malleable and ductile at ordinary temperatures and that is used as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and alloys—symbol Sn; see element table

tin

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Metallic chemical element, chemical symbol Sn, atomic number 50. It is a soft, silvery white metal with a bluish tinge, employed since antiquity in the traditional form of bronze, its alloy with copper. It occurs chiefly as the dioxide (stannic oxide, SnO) in cassiterite. Since it is nontoxic, ductile, malleable, and easily worked, it is used to plate steel cans (“tin cans”) for use as food containers and to coat and plate other items. Pure tin is too weak to be used alone, but its many alloys include soft solder, pewter, bronze, and low-temperature casting alloys. It has valence 2 or 4 in compounds, including stannous chloride (used in tin galvanizing and manufacturing polymers and dyes), stannous oxide (used to make tin salts for chemical reagents and plating), stannous fluoride (used as an anticavity ingredient in toothpastes), stannic chloride (a stabilizer for perfumes and a source of other tin salts), and stannic oxide (a catalyst and a polishing powder for steel). Tin bonds with carbon to form organotin compounds, used to stabilize PVC and in biocides and fungicides.