metallurgy

1 of 2

noun (1)

met·​al·​lur·​gy ˈme-tə-ˌlər-jē 

especially British mə-ˈta-lə-

: the science and technology of metals

metallurgical

ˌme-tə-ˈlər-ji-kəl 

adjective

metallurgically

ˌme-tə-ˈlər-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

metallurgist

ˈme-tə-ˌlər-jist 

especially British mə-ˈta-lər-

noun

metallurgist

2 of 2

noun (2)

met·​al·​lur·​gist ˈmetᵊlˌərjə̇st 

-etᵊl-, 

-ˌə̄j-, 

-əij- chiefly British mə̇ˈtalə(r)jə̇st

plural -s

: a specialist in the science or application of metallurgy

Examples of metallurgy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If those constraints are addressed, metallurgy could plausibly return to pre-war levels within a few years, becoming more efficient than the old Soviet-era infrastructure ever was. —Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

Reports have revealed that producing a high-thrust military turbofan involves solving complex engineering problems related to temperature resistance, airflow efficiency, metallurgy, and long-term durability. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026

Under the Zia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, China developed advanced metallurgy techniques and, along with them, systems for managing them at scale. —Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026

And Michael Rosenthal and James Litinsky are the unlikely men in charge, two Floridians in the snow, two finance types suddenly trafficking in mining and metallurgy. —Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from New Latin metallurgia, borrowed from Middle Greek metallourgía "mining," from metall- metall- + -ourgia -urgy, after Greek metallourgós "miner"

Noun (2)

New Latin metallurg ia + English -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1665, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing metallurgy

• powder metallurgy

Kids Definition

metallurgy

noun

met·​al·​lur·​gy ˈmet-ᵊl-ˌər-jē 

: the science of obtaining metals from their ores and preparing them for use

metallurgical

ˌmet-ᵊl-ˈər-ji-kəl 

adjective

metallurgist

ˈmet-ᵊl-ˌər-jəst 

noun