tin English · revision 10451

+ {{infobox|confidence=unknown|formation=inherited|attested=before 899|origins=gem-pro *tiną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /tɪn/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|ang|tin|t=tin]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Proto-Germanic *tinam,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) source also of Dutch tin, German [[m|de|Zinn]] and Old Norse tin, of unknown origin;^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) it is not found outside Germanic, Irish tinne being borrowed from English.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The American Heritage note suggests the Germanic peoples may have borrowed it from a pre-Indo-European language of western Europe.^(AHD) The chemical symbol Sn is from Late Latin stannum.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The metal: before 899, in Alfred's translation of Gregory's ''Pastoral Care''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==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.^(Etymonline) The verb, to coat with tin, is from the mid-14th century (before 1398 in Barnhart),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and the adjective, made of tin, by the 1590s, earlier tinnen.^(Etymonline) A container of tin, especially a can for preserving food, is by 1795,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Cresswell 2021) American use favouring [[can]];^(Etymonline) the verb to pack in tins is by 1887.^(Etymonline) Tin as slang for money is by 1836,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) a ''tin god'' from the late 19th century, and a ''tin ear'' from 1909.^(Cresswell 2021)^(Etymonline) ''Tinfoil'' is from 1467–68,^(Barnhart 1988) the ''tin hat'' by 1903, and the ''Tin Lizzie'', a Ford, by 1915.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 899 – the metal.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * mid-14th century – to coat with tin (verb).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1467–68 – tinfoil.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1795 – a tin container.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1836 – money (slang).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1909 – a tin ear.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A soft, silvery-white metallic element used to coat other metals and in alloys such as bronze and [[pewter]]; symbol Sn.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly British)'' A sealed metal container for preserved food; a [[can]], or its contents.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A box or container made of tin plate, or a baking dish.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To coat or plate with tin.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly British)'' To pack in tins; to can.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Made of tin.^(AHD)

+ # Made of cheap material; sham.^(AHD)

+

+ ==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.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}