tin

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tɪn/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English tin (“tin”),^[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *tinam,^[3][2][4] source also of Dutch tin, German Zinn and Old Norse tin, of unknown origin;^[3][4] it is not found outside Germanic, Irish tinne being borrowed from English.^[2][3] The American Heritage note suggests the Germanic peoples may have borrowed it from a pre-Indo-European language of western Europe.^[5] The chemical symbol Sn is from Late Latin stannum.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The metal: before 899, in Alfred's translation of Gregory's Pastoral Care.^[2][6][7]

Semantic evolution

Pliny called tin plumbum album, white lead, and for centuries it was thought a form of silver debased by lead, hence its figurative use for mean, petty, worthless.^[3] The verb, to coat with tin, is from the mid-14th century (before 1398 in Barnhart),^[3][2] and the adjective, made of tin, by the 1590s, earlier tinnen.^[3] A container of tin, especially a can for preserving food, is by 1795,^[3][7][6] American use favouring can;^[3] the verb to pack in tins is by 1887.^[3] Tin as slang for money is by 1836,^[3][7] a tin god from the late 19th century, and a tin ear from 1909.^[6][3] Tinfoil is from 1467–68,^[2] the tin hat by 1903, and the Tin Lizzie, a Ford, by 1915.^[3]

Timeline

• before 899 – the metal.^[2]
• mid-14th century – to coat with tin (verb).^[3]
• 1467–68 – tinfoil.^[2]
• 1795 – a tin container.^[3]
• 1836 – money (slang).^[3]
• 1909 – a tin ear.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A soft, silvery-white metallic element used to coat other metals and in alloys such as bronze and pewter; symbol Sn.
2. (chiefly British) A sealed metal container for preserved food; a can, or its contents.
3. A box or container made of tin plate, or a baking dish.

Verb

1. To coat or plate with tin.
2. (chiefly British) To pack in tins; to can.

Adjective

1. Made of tin.
2. Made of cheap material; sham.

Word family

• tinful
• tinlike

Related words

• tinny
• tinfoil
• tinsmith
• stannic

Usage notes

In northern English dialects from Northumberland to Shropshire, tin was used for till, until.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)