iron 
(with term, -rni reduced to -fn) of AS. isern 
= OS. i/Ktrn = OFries. im-rii, <./, ic., irser, 
NFries. tw = I). ipcr = MLG. i#erii = OHG. 
iniini, M J [( i . imtrn, isrr = Icel. warn, later coutr. 
jr = Dan. Sw.j'r'rii = (loth, ci/nirii, iron, = Ir. 
iarnii, iarun = Gael, iarunn = W. haiarn = Bret. 
houiirn, pi. In-fit (whence ult. E. harness, q. v.), 
iron; in AS. both noun and adj., but in form 
adj., and hence, it has been supposed, perhaps 
orig. as if "icon,' < is, ice, in supposed ref. to 
the ' glancing ' or ' shining ' of polished iron, as 
in swords or knives ; but this is very doubtful. 
Nee ici . For the change of orig. s to r, seerAofo- 
cism. II. a. < ME. iron, iren, also irnen, yrnen, 
etc., < AS. ixen, also iscrn, for orig.'&ernen (=D. 
yseren = MLG. iaern = OHG. isarniu, isernin, 
MUG. iserin, iscrn, G. eisern; also OHG. isanin, 
in f it In, iyiii, MIKi. i.ii'iini, ixin, (i. linni (olis.) = 
Goth. eisarueins), of iron, < isern, n., iron, + 
-en; the prop. adj. fpnn with reg. adj. suffix 
-en' 2 , partly reduced in AS., etc., to the form 
of the noun.] I. n. 1. Chemical symbol, Fe; 
atomic weight, 56. A metal, the most abun- 
dant and the most important of all those used 
in the metallic form. It was formerly thought that 
Iron did not occur native, except as meteoric iron, but it 
has recently been found in large quantities in the basal- 
tic lava of Greenland near Ovifak. This, however, Is not 
chemically pure, nor is any iron manufactured from the 
ore in the large way free from impurities, and the sub- 
stances thus present in manufactured iron are of great 
importance in reference to the character of the metal pro- 
duced. Of all these impurities carbon is the most impor- 
l;in! . and Its relations to Iron are both complicated and 
difficult of explanation. Iron, as prepared by Percy, ac- 
cording to the method indicated by Berzelius, and be- 
lieved to be as nearly chemically pure as possible, had a 
specific gravity of 7.8707 before being rolled. Iron depos- 
ited from solution by electrolysis, and believed to be pure, 
hail a specific gravity ranging from 7.9405 to 8.107. Iron 
nearly chemically pure, as obtained by Berzelius. was de- 
scribed by him as being very nearly as white as silver, ex- 
tremely tenacious, softer than ordinary bar-iron, and scaly 
is comparatively soft* malleable, ductile, weldable, and 
fusible only at a very high temperature ; (3) steel, which 
is also malleable and weldable, but fusible, and what 
is of great importance capable of acquiring, by being 
tempered, a very high degree of hardness, so that it cuts 
wrought-iron with ease. By the processes ordinarily 
followed, wrought-iron and steel are made not directly 
from the ore, but from iron which has been smelted in 
the blast-furnace or that which has the fonn of cast-iron. 
The name out-iron, however, is ordinarily given to iron 
which has been remelted in the cupola-furnace and cast 
in any fonn desired for use. The product of the blast-fur- 
ilace, out of which wrought-iron and steel are made, is 
called pig-iron; but its qualities are not sensibly changed 
by simple remelting and casting. Some wrought-iron is, 
however, made directly from the ore. (SeeWownery.) The 
process by which pig-iron is converted into wrought-iron 
is called puddling (which see). Steel, formerly produced 
almost exclusively from wrought-irou by "cementation," 
is now largely made from pig-iron by the so-called Besse- 
mer process. This process, introduced within a few years, 
has in a measure obliterated the distinction between 
wrought-iron and steel, as by it a material can be pro- 
duced which is Intermediate in character between these, 
having the tenacity and durability of steel, and to a certain 
extent capable of being tempered. The most striking fea- 
ture of the chemical composition of the different grades 
of Iron and steel is the din erence in the amount of carbon 
they contain, pig-iron containing the most, and wrought- 
iron the least. But while the flner kinds of cutlery-steel 
such, for instance, as Is used for razors contain 1. 5 per 
cent, of carbon, so-called " steel rails " made by the Besse- 
mer process contain usually only about four tenths of one 
per cent. As much as five per cent, of carbon is not un- 
commonly present in pig-iron. The ores of iron are widely 
and abundantly disseminated over the earth. Their avail- 
ability for manufacturing purposes depends largely on the 
proximity of good and cheap fuel and a market. What 
may truthfully be called mountains of iron ore remain un- 
used in varion parts of the world, because not sufficiently 
well situated. The valuable ores of iron are all oxids or 
oxidized combinations ; the sulphuret is extremely abun- 
dant, but useful only as an ore of sulphur. Great Britain 
leads the world in the manufacture of iron, more than one 
third of the total product being made there. Thequantity 
of pig-iron made in Great Britain in 1887 was about 7,500,000 
tons. The production of the United States during the same 
year was a little over 6,600,000 tons. Germany, France, 
and Belgium are next in importance as producers of this 
metal, lion lias been known from remote historical times. 
In the Homeric poems it is recognized, being considered 
as of more value than copper. Copper, sometimes alloyed 
with tin, was at that period still generally in use for tools 
and weapons. The smelting of iron from its ores is not 
necessarily an indication of advanced civilization, since 
tribes commonly called savage practise the art, and have 
done so for an indefinite time, without any communication 
with more highly developed people. See steel and magnet. 
Abowte that stoone a grate there is of irne stronge made 
Iwys. Political Poems, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 13. 
Inn! best of metals ! pride of minerals ! 
Hart of the earth ! hand of the world ! which fals 
Heavy when it strikes home. DeMcr, London's Tempe. 
2. A utensil or weapon made of iron: often 
in combination with a noun or an adjective ex- 
pressive of its purpose or character: as, a flat- 
iron, gridiron, orshootiug-i><> 
Canst them nil his skin with barbed irontl Job xlL 7. 
Specifically (a) A knife, sword, or other cutting Imple- 
ment 
Thyn tjrun* kepe In harde and sharpe usage 
For gratfyng and for kytting I the charge. 
Palladia*, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.\ p. 6. 
Come, learn of us, lieutenant : hang your imn up ; 
We'll Hnd you cooler wars. Fletcher, Mad Lover, I. 1. 
(6) pi. Fetters or other chains fastened to the person of a 
prisoner : as, a mutineer is put in irons. 
Neuer for me shalt thow be putte In feteres ne In Irenet 
seth thow wilt me graunte that thow will not go with-outo 
my leve. Merlin (E. E. T. *.), ill. 428. 
He ordered him into irons, without allowing him any 
food. Steele, Spectator, No. 860. 
(c) In whaling, a hand-harpoon ; a toggle- iron, used in strik- 
ing a whale. There are two forms, the first and second 
irons (which see, below), (d) A. brand-Iron. 
Give me the iron, I say, and bind him here. 
Shale., K. John, iv. 1, 76. 
He sent for burning irons straight, 
All sparkling hot to see. 
Queen Eleanor's Fall (Child's Ballads, VII. 294). 
Berlin Iron-castings, peculiarly delicate castings made 
in Berlin, origlnaUyfor the purpose of being given in ex- 
change for gold contributed to help pay the expenses of 
the war for the redemption of the country from the Iron 
grasp of Napoleon. Objects thus given bore the inscription 
"Ich gab Gold um Eisen" (I gave gold for iron). The 
beauty and delicacy of these castings were due in part to 
the fluidity of the iron (made from bog-ore), in part to the 
excellent quality of the molding-sand (made of infusorial 
silica), and in part to the skill of the workmen employed in 
the manufacture, which, however, retains little of its for- 
mer importance. Bessemer Iron, pig-iron suitable for 
the manufacture of Bessemer steel. Bog-iron ore. See 
bogi. Brown iron ore. same as limonite. Chromic 
Iron. Same as chromite. Clay iron ore. See clay, a. 
Common iron, the commercial term for iron of the 
poorest quality. Iron is graded as common, best, best best, 
and chain-cable iron. Converted iron. .See concert. 
Corrugated Iron, common sheet-iron or galvanized iron 
whichnas been bent into folds or wrinkled by being passed 
between two powerful rollers, the ridges of the one cor- 
responding to the grooves of the other, or by hydrostatic 
pressure upon a movable upper block driven upon a lower 
one. Iron thus treated will resist a much greater strain 
than flat iron, each groove representing a half-tube. A sin- 
gle sheet, so thin as to be unable to stand without bend- 
ing when placed vertically, will after corrugation sustain 
700 pounds without bending. Walls and roofs of tem- 
porary buildings, railway sheds and bridges, emigrants' 
nouses, churches, sheds for dock-yards, etc., are now ex- 
tensively made of iron thus treated. From its great light- 
ness and power of resisting violent shocks, light boats have 
been made of it, and it has been proposed as an advanta- 
geous material for life-boats. Damascus iron. See da- 
mascus. Dialy zed iron. See dinlyze. Dividing-Iron, 
an implement for cutting glass employed before the use 
of the diamond was Introduced. It was an iron which 
was heated and drawn along the lines where the division 
was to be made, the glass if of resistant nature being wet at 
the required line of separation. First iron, in whaliny, 
the toggle-iron first thrown into a whale. Forming-iron, 
a blacksmiths' swage-block. Foundry iron. See/otm- 
dry. Galvanized iron. See galvanize. Glazed iron, 
glazy iron. See glaze. Green iron ore. Same as du- 
/remte.lron pyrites. Seepyrites. Iron's length, in 
/i h<i!/ii'i, the length of the toggle-iron as a measure of dis- 
tance. Italian iron, an instrument used for fluting linen 
or lace garments. It consists of a metal tube ending in a 
cone, and heated usually by a hot iron within. [Eng. ; a 
different device used for the same purpose is called in the 
United States ^trtinj7-iron.] 
While the maid was busy crimping or starching, I took 
an Italian iron from the fire, and applied the light scarlet 
glowing tip to my arm. Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, xxviii. 
Malleable iron-castings, or (as more generally called) 
malleable cast-Iron, cast-iron decarburized by packing 
it with oxld of iron and subjecting it to the temperature 
of red heat for several days. Iron thus treated and care- 
fully cooled may be bent considerably without breaking, 
and is malleable In a slight degree. Meteoric iron, iron 
as found in meteorites, usually combined with from 1 to 
10 per cent, of nickel. See meteorite. Micaceous iron 
ore, a variety of hematite or oxid of iron, occurring in 
masses composed of thin laminte. Muck iron, iron ready 
for the roller or squeezer. Nodular iron ore. Same as 
eaglestone. Oligiste iron. Same as specular iron. Pal- 
las iron. See meteorite. Red iron ore, hematite, espe- 
cially those varieties which have a non-metallic or sub- 
metallic luster. Second iron, in whaling, the second 
toggle-iron of a whaling-boat. It is carried at the head, in 
the boat-crotch, attached to the tow-line by the rope known 
as the short icarp by a bowline knot, and is thrown into the 
whale, if possible, as soon as the first iron has been darted. 
If there is not time for this, it is thrown overboard as quick- 
ly as possible, to avoid fouling the tow-line. Spathic or 
sparry iron ore. Same as siderite. Specular iron, a 
crystallized variety of hematite. Titanic iron ore, or 
titanlferous oxid of iron. Same as Umentie. To be 
In irons, (a) To have the hands or feet, or both, confined 
by fetters, (o) To have, as a square-rigged vessel, the yards 
so braced that, some sails being full of wind and some 
aback, the vessel is temporarily unmanageable. 
It Is more common for a vessel to come up properly, 
and then, when the after yards have been swung, to lie 
dead in the water, or in irons. Luce, Seamanship, p. 430. 
To have too many irons in the fire, to be engaged in 
too many undertakings. 
He hath more actors in his tragedy, more irons in the 
fire. Burton, Auat. of Mel., p. 607. 
They held it not agreeable to the rules of prudence to 
have too many irons in the fire. 
Ileylin, Hist. Reformation, I. 261. 
Tow-catch iron, or tow-iron, the toggle-Iron or har- 
poon used in whaling. 
iron-black 
II. . 1. Made of iron; consisting of iron: as, 
an iron gate ; an iron bar. 
Go, get thee gone, fetch me an iron crow. 
Shalt., C. of E., iii. 1, 84. 
With high yron gates, as is reported. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 68. 
2. Resembling iron in some respect, either 
really or metaphorically. 
Such notes as, warbled to the string, 
Drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek. 
Hilton, II Penseroso, L 107. 
The wood which grides and clang* 
It* leafless ribs and iron horns. 
Tennyton, In MemorUun, evil. 
Hence (a) Harsh; rude; severe. 
Iron years of wars and dangers. Rove. 
(6) Binding fast ; not to be broken. 
Hun death's iron sleep oppressed. Phillips. 
(c) Capable of great endurance ; firm ; robust : as, an iron 
constitution. 
E'en hell's grim king Alt-ides' pow'r contest, 
The shaft found entrance in his iron breast. 
Pope, Iliad, T. 488. 
(d) Not to be bent ; inflexible. 
Her iron will was broken in her mind. 
Tennyson, Princess, vl. 
Iron age, buff, cement, etc. See the nouns. Iron cross. 
See Order of the Iron Cross, below. Iron crown, the an- 
cient crown of the kings of Lombardy, with which many 
of the emperors of Germany and some other rulers, includ- 
ing Napoleon I., were afterward crowned as successors to 
their power In Italy : now preserved in the cathedral of 
MI Mi/a, tin- old capital of Lombardy. It takes its name 
from a thin band of iron, fabled to have been forged from 
one of the nails of Christ's cross, inclosed by its hoop of 
gold. Iron divi- 
slont. See diri- 
<ion. iron hat. 
[ME. iren hat = 
Icel.>drnAottr.](ot) 
Same as chapel-de- 
a ^fl f''r. (o) In mining, 
if. 
a. Iron hat. Iith century (from ViollM-le- ,^ 
Chic's" Diet, du \tobilierfrancate"). *, Iron ocomove. rOD 
hat. time of Charles I. and Cromwell. lacquer, mask, 
natrolite, etc. See 
the nouns. Order of the Iron Cross, a Prussian order 
founded in 1818 for military services in the wars against Na- 
poleon. Inl870theorderwasreorganized. It consists of the 
great cross, conferred only on a few princes and generals, 
and two classes comprising several thousand Germans. 
The original badge was a cross patt^ of black iron with a 
silver rim, upon which were the initials F. W. (Frederick 
William) ana the date 1813 or 1815. The modern badge 
is a modification of this. The ribbon is black with a 
white border. Order of the Iron Crown, an order 
founded by Napoleon I. as king of Italy, and adopted by 
Francis I. of Austria after the fall of Napoleon. It con- 
sists of three classes. The badge is a double eagle of 
Austria resting upon a ring (which represents the iron 
crown of Monxa), and surmounted by an imperial crown ; 
this is attached to an orange ribbon edged with blue. 
iron (i'ern), v. t. [Not found in ME.; cf. AS. 
ixenian, furnish or mount with iron (= Icel. 
jdrna, put in irons, mount with iron, shoe (a 
horse)), < iscn, iron : see iron, .] 1 . To shackle 
with irons; fetter; handcuff. 
Tron him then, let the rest go free. 
Middleton, Spanish Gypsy, iv. 3. 
2. To furnish, 'mount, or arm with iron : as, to 
iron a wagon. 3. To smooth with an instru- 
ment of iron, especially with a hot flat-iron, 
smoothing-iron, or box-iron. 
An a mun have some 'un to iron me out my seams, and 
look me out my bits. Mrs. Uanlee.ll, Sylvia's Lovers, I. 69. 
iron-alum (i'ern-al'um), n. 1. One of the dou- 
ble sulphates of ferric iron and potassium (am- 
monium, etc.), analogous to the true alums in 
composition, and like them crystallizing in 
octahedrons. 2. The 
mineral halotrichite. 
ironbark-tree (i'ern- 
bark-tre),n. A tree of the 
genus Eucalyptus having 
solid bark, as /.'. cribra, 
but more particularly 
the species K. resinifera, 
a tree with ovatolan- 
ceplate leaves which at- 
tains a height of from 
150to 200 feet. From this 
tree is obtained Botany Bay 
kino, used in medicine as a 
substitute for kino. When 
thebarkof the tree i wounded 
a red Juice flows very freely, 
and hardens in the air into 
masses of irregular form, inodorous and transparent Sixty 
gallons of juice may sometimes be obtained from a single 
tree. The timber is also very valuable, and is extensively 
used in ship-building and engineering works. The white 
ironbark-tree is E. paniculata, a species which furnishes a 
hard, durable wood excellent for railroad-ties, etc. The 
red-flowered Ironbark-tree is K. Leucoxylon. It attains a 
height of 100 feet, and is highlyprized by carpenters and 
ship-builders for its durability. The silver-leafed ironbark- 
tree is i'. pruinnsa, a tree of moderate size. 
iron-black (i'ern-blak), . See black. 
ranch of Ironbark-tree (f- 
on larger scale. 
