Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A hard, high-carbon steel developed in India around 300 BC, used in the production of Damascus steel.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The name given to steel made in India by fusing iron with carbonaceous matter.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A species of steel imported from the East Indies, valued for making edge tools; Indian steel. It has in combination a minute portion of alumina and silica.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
famous type ofsteel from India, muchadmired for makingsword blades .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word wootz.
Examples
-
And "adamas" is not so far removed, sound-wise, from "damasch" which would mean damascus steel and that material, also called wootz, was a very good steel, and extremely hard.
Archive 2009-02-01 a stitch in time 2009
-
And "adamas" is not so far removed, sound-wise, from "damasch" which would mean damascus steel and that material, also called wootz, was a very good steel, and extremely hard.
Diamonds are for Helmets a stitch in time 2009
-
I think there are at least some gun barrels made from wootz steel, not only blades, but I can't remember the reference at the moment.
Diamonds are for Helmets a stitch in time 2009
-
On the other hand, I suppose it would be technically possible to forge wootz steel into a helmet.
Diamonds are for Helmets a stitch in time 2009
-
I'd learned enough about wootz, case-hardening, pattern-welding, tempering, and the rest to understand that this was high craftsmanship and to appreciate how much I didn't know.
Operation Luna Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1999
-
The celebrated wootz or steel of India, made in little cakes of only about two pounds weight, possesses qualities which no European steel can surpass.
Industrial Biography Smiles, Samuel, 1812-1904 1863
-
The celebrated wootz or steel of India, made in little cakes of only about two pounds weight, possesses qualities which no European steel can surpass.
Industrial Biography, Iron Workers and Tool Makers Samuel Smiles 1858
-
-- The manufacture of arms involved the use of steel, the method of tempering which was derived from the Hindus, by whom the _wootz_ was prepared, of which, the genuine blades of Damascus are shown to have been made, the beauty of their figuring being dependent on its peculiar crystallisation.
Ceylon; an Account of the Island Physical, Historical, and Topographical with Notices of Its Natural History, Antiquities and Productions, Volume 1 (of 2) James Emerson Tennent 1836
-
_beating_ cannon-balls into shape proves their incapacity to cast iron, unless it results from a peculiarity of the ore, so frequent in India, which, instead of yielding cast-iron at once when reduced in the usual way, gives wootz -- a condition of iron closely allied to steel, ductile but not fusible.
A Journey to Katmandu (the Capital of Napaul), with The Camp of Jung Bahadoor; including A Sketch of the Nepaulese Ambassador at Home Laurence Oliphant 1858
-
"I've a good revolver and my service sword -- a priceless old wootz steel tulwar.
A Fascinating Traitor An Anglo-Indian Story Richard Savage 1874
squareintheteeth commented on the word wootz
An actual term describing a type of steel, or used when referring to such steel as a synecdoche. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel
January 4, 2007
Scot commented on the word wootz
This definition identifies the traditional use of this word. As demonstrated by the Twitter citations, the word has reappeared as an interjection: Wootz! Usage indicates the meaning is something akin to 'Wow!' or 'Do you believe that?' or 'That's amazing!' I don't know the origin, but it appears to be widespread.
July 14, 2009
Scot commented on the word wootz
The Urban Dictionary reports the meaning as: "Adj - Used when describing something that is awful, appalling, gross or unpleasant."
July 20, 2009
Scot commented on the word wootz
The Urban Dictionary reports the meaning as: "Adj - Used when describing something that is awful, appalling, gross or unpleasant."
July 20, 2009