The definition of tin is a soft, silver white metal.
An example of tin is the metal used in electroplating.
See tin in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
Origin: ME < OE, akin to Ger zinn; only in Gmc languages
See tin in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Old English
. Word History: The origins of the word tin may date to a time before Europe had been settled by speakers of Indo-European languages, such as the Germanic and Celtic languages. Related words for this metal are found in almost all Germanic languages, such as German Zinn, Swedish tenn, and Old English tin (as in Modern English), but no other Indo-European language family has such a word. This fact suggests that the word tin may have been borrowed into the Germanic languages from a pre-Indo-European language of Western Europe. This possibility is supported by the Bronze Age importation to the Near East of tin and copper from Europe, where the metals were produced and metal objects were manufactured. Lest we be too amazed by this accomplishment, we might remember another remarkable achievement of pre-Indo-European society, the construction of huge megalithic monuments such as Stonehenge.Learn more about tin
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