Meanings
plural Babbitt's metals
- countablerareuncountableRare form of babbitt metal.
In 1839 Isaac Babbitt, a goldsmith of Boston, Mass., discovered the alloy known as Babbitt's metal which is used the world over in bearings of machinery.
1897, Aluminum World, page 292 more examples
The supposed superiority of brass or Babbitt's metal lined boxes over iron boxes, in positions very liable to heating, lies in their greater softness and conductivity for heat.
1878 April, William D. Marks, “Crank Pins and Journals”, in Journal of the Franklin Institute, page 234So-called Babbitt's metals made principally of lead, and weighing six ounces per cubic inch, are dear at any price, when compared with the tin Babbitt's metals which weight but 4¼ ounces per cubic inch, and never heat or cut journals.
1899, “Importance of Good Bearing Metals”, in The Foundry, page 130
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Cite this entry
Babbitt's metal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Babbitt's%20metal
“Babbitt's metal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Babbitt's%20metal. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Babbitt's metal,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Babbitt's%20metal.
Source: Babbitt's metal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.