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The definition of tin is a soft, silver white metal.

Facts About Tin

Its symbol on the periodic chart is Sn and the Latin name for it is stannum.
Tin has been around since the formation of the Earth and it was used during the Bronze Age, starting around 3000 B. C.
Tin is found in cassiterite (tin dioxide), and tannic oxide is found with feldspar, mica, or quartz.
It must be extracted from the ore through smelting which is heating to extract the ore.

Tin is not easily oxidized, so it is used to coat metals to keep them from rusting or corroding. 40% of tin is used in making tinplate and 90% of tinplate goes in to making tin cans.
Tin is not easily affected by sea water, soft tap water, or weak acids.
Tin is practically non-biodegradable. It can stay in the environment for a very long time. It is toxic to anything living, and causes damage to aquatic ecosystems.

(noun)

An example of tin is the metal used in electroplating.

See tin in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a soft, silver-white, crystalline, metallic chemical element, malleable at ordinary temperatures and used in making shiny alloys and tinfoils, solders, utensils, tin plate, superconducting magnets, etc.: symbol, Sn; at. no., 50
tin plate
1. a pan, box, etc. made of tin plate
2. Chiefly Brit. can (, )
Slang money

Origin: ME < OE, akin to Ger zinn; only in Gmc languages

transitive verb tinned, tinning

to cover or plate with tin
Chiefly Brit. can ()

See tin in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Symbol Sn A malleable, silvery metallic element obtained chiefly from cassiterite. It is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion and is a part of numerous alloys, such as soft solder, pewter, type metal, and bronze. Atomic number 50; atomic weight 118.71; melting point 231.89°C; boiling point 2,270°C; specific gravity 7.31; valence 2, 4. See Table at element.
Tin plate.
A container or box made of tin plate.
Chiefly British
a. A container for preserved foodstuffs; a can.
b. The contents of such a container.

transitive verb tinned tinned, tin·ning, tins

To plate or coat with tin.
Chiefly British To preserve or pack in tins; can.

adjective

Of, relating to, or made of tin.
a. Constructed of inferior material.
b. Spurious.

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.

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