metallurgy

4 synonyms for metallurgy, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — The branch of science and engineering concerned with metals: how they are extracted from ores, refined, alloyed, shaped and how they behave in use.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

metal science materials science smelting metalworking

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

The branch of science and engineering concerned with metals: how they are extracted from ores, refined, alloyed, shaped and how they behave in use.

“Advances in metallurgy made lighter, stronger aircraft possible.”

metal science materials science

2. noun

The practical craft of working metals, including smelting, casting and heat treatment.

“The site shows evidence of Bronze Age metallurgy.”

smelting metalworking

How to use metallurgy

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

extractive metallurgy powder metallurgy physical metallurgy

Technical and neutral; standard in engineering, archaeology and industry.

Etymology

From Greek metallon 'metal, mine' plus -ourgia 'working', via modern Latin metallurgia.

Full origin of metallurgy →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between metallurgy and materials science?

Metallurgy deals specifically with metals and alloys. Materials science is the broader field, covering ceramics, polymers and composites as well, and metallurgy is usually taught as one branch of it.

What are the main branches of metallurgy?

Extractive metallurgy, which gets metal out of ore, and physical metallurgy, which studies structure, properties and processing. Some courses add mechanical metallurgy, covering how metals deform and fail.

How is metallurgy pronounced?

British English usually stresses the second syllable, muh-TAL-uh-jee. American English often stresses the first, MET-uh-lur-jee. Both are accepted.

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smelting metalworking

Nearby words

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