Chemistry. a low-melting, malleable, ductile metallic element nearly approaching silver in color and luster: used in plating and in making alloys, tinfoil, and soft solders. Symbol: Sn; atomic weight: 118.69; atomic number: 50; specific gravity: 7.31 at 20°C.
tin plate.
any shallow pan, especially one used in baking.
any pot, box, can, or other container or vessel made of tin or tin plate.
Squash. telltale (def. 8).
Chiefly British. a hermetically sealed can containing food.
Slang. a small quantity of an illicit drug, especially from two to five grams of cocaine: usually sold in a small plastic bag, a glassine envelope, or often a small tin container.
BritishSlang. money.
adjective
made or consisting of tin or tin plate.
false; worthless; counterfeit: a set of tin values.
indicating the tenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
verb (used with object),tinned,tin·ning.
Metallurgy.
to cover or coat with tin.
to coat with soft solder.
Chiefly British. to preserve or pack (especially food) in cans; can.
to cover (windows and doors in an abandoned or unoccupied building or apartment) with sheets of tin to prevent vandalism or occupancy by vagrants, squatters, etc.
Origin of tin
before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Old Norse tin,German Zinn; (v.) Middle English tinnen, derivative of the noun
OTHER WORDS FROM tin
tinlike,adjectivere·tin,verb (used with object),re·tinned,re·tin·ning.
They gather round the spot where the tin stood and peer into the ground, as though some sprite had bewitched it into the earth.
Sidelights on Chinese Life|J. Macgowan
Two of the boys passed round a pail of water and a tin cup, that all the thirsty might drink.
Glengarry Schooldays|Ralph Connor
Has a core of lead and tin composition inclosed in a jacket of cupro-nickel.
The Plattsburg Manual|O.O. Ellis and E.B. Garey
British Dictionary definitions for tin
tin
/ (tɪn) /
noun
a metallic element, occurring in cassiterite, that has several allotropes; the ordinary malleable silvery-white metal slowly changes below 13.2°C to a grey powder. It is used extensively in alloys, esp bronze and pewter, and as a noncorroding coating for steel. Symbol: Sn; atomic no: 50; atomic wt: 118.710; valency: 2 or 4; relative density: 5.75 (grey), 7.31 (white); melting pt: 231.9°C; boiling pt: 2603°CRelated adjectives: stannic, stannous
Also called (esp US and Canadian): canan airtight sealed container of thin sheet metal coated with tin, used for preserving and storing food or drink
any container made of metallic tin
fill her tinsNZto complete a home baking of cakes, biscuits, etc
Also called: tinfulthe contents of a tin or the amount a tin will hold
British, Australian and NZcorrugated or galvanized irona tin roof
any metal regarded as cheap or flimsy
Britisha loaf of bread with a rectangular shape, baked in a tin
slangmoney
it does exactly what it says on the tinit lives up to expectations
verbtins, tinningortinned(tr)
to put (food, etc) into a tin or tins; preserve in a tin
to plate or coat with tin
to prepare (a metal) for soldering or brazing by applying a thin layer of solder to the surface
Derived forms of tin
tinlike, adjective
Word Origin for tin
Old English; related to Old Norse tin, Old High German zin
A malleable, silvery metallic element that occurs in igneous rocks. It has a crystalline structure and crackles when bent. Tin is used as an anticorrosion agent and is a part of numerous alloys, including 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 Periodic Table. See Note at element.