zinc

UK: /ˈzɪŋk/ US: /zɪŋk/ ,(zingk)

Inflections of 'zinc' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

zincs

v 3rd person singular

zincing

v pres p

zincking

v pres p

zinced

v past

zincked

v past

zinced

v past p

zincked

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

zinc /zɪŋk/   n. 

1. Chemistry [uncountable] a bluish-white metallic element, used in making galvanized iron, brass, and other materials and as an element in voltaic cells.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

zinc  (zingk),  n., v., zincked or zinced  (zingkt), zinck•ing or zinc•ing 

(zing′king). 

n. 

1. Chemistry a ductile, bluish-white metallic element: used in making galvanized iron, brass, and other alloys, and as an element in voltaic cells. Symbol: Zn;
   at. wt.: 65.37;
   at. no.: 30;
   sp. gr.: 7.14 at 20°C.
2. Electricity a piece of this metal used as an element in a voltaic cell.

v.t. 

3. to coat or cover with zinc.

• German Zink, perh. derivative of Zinke(n) prong, tine, from the spikelike form it takes in a furnace
• 1635–45

zinck′y, zinc′y, zink′y, adj. 
zinc′oid, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

zinc / zɪŋk/ noun

1. a brittle bluish-white metallic element that becomes coated with a corrosion-resistant layer in moist air and occurs chiefly in sphalerite and smithsonite. It is a constituent of several alloys, esp brass and nickel-silver, and is used in die-casting, galvanizing metals, and in battery electrodes. Symbol: Zn; atomic no: 30; atomic wt: 65.39; valency: 2; relative density: 7.133; melting pt: 419.58°C; boiling pt: 907°C
2. corrugated galvanized iron

Etymology: 17th Century: from German Zink, perhaps from Zinke prong, from its jagged appearance in the furnace

ˈzincic, ˈzincous, ˈzincoid adjective

ˈzincky, ˈzincy, ˈzinky adjective