Etymology

metal

met·al
M3E1T1A1L1

Today it means: Any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard, often a conductor of heat and electricity. Full definition →

First used 1970s and afterMiddle English metal ← Old French meta ← Latin metallum
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekμέταλλον (métallon)
  2. Latinmetallum
  3. Old Frenchmeta
  4. Middle Englishmetal
  5. English todaymetal

From Middle English metal, a borrowing from Old French metal, from Latin metallum (“metal, mine, quarry, mineral”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon, “mine, quarry, metal”).

Words from the same roots

Latinmetallum all →

metalliform

Ancient Greekμέταλλον all →

metallic

First known use, by meaning

  • 1970s and after Characterized by strong drum-beats and distorted guitars.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.