tɪn n. & v. --n. 1 Chem. a silvery-white
malleable metallic element resisting
corrosion, occurring
naturally in
cassiterite and other ores, and used
esp. in alloys and
for plating thin iron or
steel sheets to
form tin
plate. °Symb.:
Sn. 2 a a
vessel or
container made of tin or tinned iron. b
Brit. an
airtight sealed container made of tin plate or
aluminium for preserving
food. 3 = tin plate. 4 Brit. sl.
money. --v.tr. (tinned, tinning) 1 seal (food) in an airtight tin for
preservation. 2
cover or
coat with tin. øput
the tin
lid on see LID. tin can a tin container (see
sense 2 of n.), esp. an
empty one. tin foil foil made of tin, aluminium, or tin
alloy, used for
wrapping food for
cooking or storing. tin-glaze a
glaze made
white and
opaque by the
addition of tin
oxide. tin
god 1 an
object of
unjustified veneration. 2 a self-important
person. tin
hat colloq. a
military steel
helmet. tin Lizzie colloq. an
old or
decrepit car. tin-opener a
tool for
opening tins. tin-pan alley the
world of composers and publishers of
popular music. tin plate sheet iron or sheet steel coated with tin. tin-plate v.tr. coat with tin. tin
soldier a
toy soldier made of
metal. tin-tack an iron
tack. tin
whistle =
penny whistle. [OE f. Gmc]
