enamel

E1N1A1M3E1L1
US, UK/ɪˈnæməl/

noun

An opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects.

Similar
tooth enamel
OriginMiddle English enamel ← Anglo-Norman enamailler ← Old French esmailler →
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

enamel1

nounenamel (countable and uncountable, plural enamels)

plural enamels

  1. countableuncountableAn opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects.
  2. countableuncountableA coating that dries to a hard, glossy finish.

    Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson

    1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC
  3. countableuncountableThe hard covering on the exposed part of a tooth.
  4. countableuncountableA cosmetic intended to give the appearance of a smooth and beautiful complexion.

enamel2

verbenamel (third-person singular simple present enamels, present participle (US) enameling or (UK) enamelling, simple past and past participle (US) enameled or (UK) enamelled)

present singular third person enamels · US participle present enameling · UK participle present enamelling · US participle past enameled · US past enameled · UK participle past enamelled · UK past enamelled

  1. transitiveTo coat or decorate with enamel.

    Their plumed helmes are wrought with beaten golde, Their ſwords enameld, and about their neckes Hangs maſſie chaines of golde downe to the waſte, In euery part exceding braue and rich.

    c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii
  2. transitiveTo variegate with colours, as if with enamel.

    Oft he [the serpent] bowed / His turret crest and sleek enamelled neck.

    1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
  3. transitiveTo form a glossy surface like enamel upon.

    to enamel card paper; to enamel leather or cloth

  4. transitiveTo disguise with cosmetics, as a woman's complexion.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounhard white substance covering the crown of a tooth

Similar
tooth enamel
Broader
solid body substance
Also see
tooth enamel

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

enamel · noun

  1. Proto-Germanic*smeltaną“to melt, smelt”
  2. Frankish*smalt
  3. Early Medieval Latinsmaltum
  4. Old Frenchesmailler“to enamel”
  5. Anglo-Normanenamailler
  6. Middle Englishenamel
  7. Englishenamel

From Middle English enamel, from Anglo-Norman enamailler, from en- (“in-”) + amailler (“to enamel”), variant of Old French esmailler (“to enamel”), from esmal (“enamel”), from Early Medieval Latin smaltum, from Frankish *smalt, from Proto-Germanic *smeltaną (“to melt, smelt”).

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

enamel · verb

  1. Middle Englishenamelen
  2. Englishenamel

From Middle English enamelen, from the noun (see above).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مِينَاء
  • مِينَاء (mīnāʔ)covering on the tooth
Bulgarian емайл, глеч
  • емайл (emajl)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • глеч (gleč)coating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • емайл (emajl)covering on the tooth
  • емайлирам (emajliram)to coat with enamel
Catalan esmalt, esmalt
  • esmaltopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • esmaltcovering on the tooth
  • esmaltarto coat with enamel
Chinese Cantonese 琺瑯 /珐琅, 琺瑯質 /珐琅质
  • 琺瑯 /珐琅opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • 琺瑯質 /珐琅质 (faat³ long⁴ zat¹)covering on the tooth
Chinese Mandarin 琺瑯 /珐琅, 琺瑯質 /珐琅质
  • 琺瑯 /珐琅 (fàláng)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • 琺瑯質 /珐琅质 (fàlángzhì)covering on the tooth
Czech smalt, email
  • smaltopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emailcoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • sklovinacovering on the tooth
Danish emalje, emalje
  • emaljeopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emaljecovering on the tooth
Dutch glazuur
  • glazuurcovering on the tooth
Esperanto emajlo, emajlo
  • emajloopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emajlocovering on the tooth
  • emajlito coat with enamel
Finnish emali, emali
  • emaliopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emalicoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • kiillecovering on the tooth
  • hammaskiillecovering on the tooth
  • emaloidato coat with enamel
French émail, glaçure
  • émailopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • glaçureopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • émailcoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • émailcovering on the tooth
  • émaillerto coat with enamel
German Email, Emaille
  • Emailopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • Emailleopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • Zahnschmelzcovering on the tooth
  • Schmelzcovering on the tooth
  • emaillierento coat with enamel
  • schmaltento coat with enamel
Greek έγκαυστον, σμάλτο
  • έγκαυστον (égkafston)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • σμάλτο (smálto)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • εμαγιέ (emagié)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • αδαμαντίνη (adamantíni)covering on the tooth
  • βερνικώνω (vernikóno)to coat with enamel
  • επισμαλτώνω (epismaltóno)to coat with enamel
Hebrew זיגג
  • זיגג (zigég)to coat with enamel
Hungarian zománc, fogzománc
  • zománcopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • fogzománccovering on the tooth
Icelandic smelt, glerungur
  • smeltopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • glerungurcovering on the tooth
  • lakkato coat with enamel
Indonesian email, email
  • emailopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emailcovering on the tooth
Irish cruan, amáille
  • cruanopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • amáilleopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • cruancovering on the tooth
  • cruanto coat with enamel
Italian smalto, lacca
  • smaltoopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • laccaopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • smaltocovering on the tooth
  • smaltareto coat with enamel
Japanese 琺瑯, 琺瑯質
  • 琺瑯 (hōrō)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • 琺瑯質 (hōrōshitsu)covering on the tooth
  • エナメル質 (enamerushitsu)covering on the tooth
Latin enamelum
  • enamelumcovering on the tooth
Māori kirimārō
  • kirimārōcovering on the tooth
Norwegian Bokmål emalje, emalje
  • emaljeopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emaljecovering on the tooth
Persian مینا, مینا
  • مینا (minâ)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • مینا (minâ)covering on the tooth
Polish emalia, emalia
  • emaliaopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emaliacoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • szkliwocovering on the tooth
  • emaliowaćto coat with enamel
Portuguese esmalte, esmalte
  • esmalteopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • esmaltecovering on the tooth
  • esmaltarto coat with enamel
Romanian smalț, smalț
  • smalțopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • smalțcovering on the tooth
Russian эма́ль, эма́ль
  • эма́ль (emálʹ)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • эма́ль (emálʹ)covering on the tooth
  • эмалирова́ть (emalirovátʹ)to coat with enamel
Scottish Gaelic cruan, geiltrigeadh
  • cruanopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • geiltrigeadhopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
Slovak smalt, sklovina
  • smaltopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • sklovinacovering on the tooth
  • smaltovaťto coat with enamel
Spanish esmalte, enlozado
  • esmalteopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • enlozadoopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • esmaltadocoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • esmaltecoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • esmaltecovering on the tooth
  • esmaltarto coat with enamel
Swahili enameli
  • enamelicovering on the tooth
Swedish emalj, emalj
  • emaljopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • emaljcovering on the tooth
  • tandemaljcovering on the tooth
  • emaljerato coat with enamel
Turkish emaye, mine
  • emayeopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • mineopaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • minecoating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • minecovering on the tooth
  • sırlamakto coat with enamel
  • emaylamakto coat with enamel
  • minelemekto coat with enamel
Ukrainian ема́ль, ема́ль
  • ема́ль (emálʹ)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • ема́ль (emálʹ)coating that dries to a hard, glossy finish
  • ема́ль (emálʹ)covering on the tooth
Yiddish עמאַל, עמאַליע
  • עמאַל (emal)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects
  • עמאַליע (emalye)opaque, glassy coating baked onto metal or ceramic objects

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with enamel

TamilmammalYAMLtrammelArabian camelBactrian camelceramalrammeltramel
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Leemanmanelemelena
Cite this entry
APA

enamel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enamel

MLA

“enamel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enamel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “enamel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enamel.

Source: enamel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.