steel
/stiːl
/noun [mass noun]
1A hard, strong grey or bluish-grey alloy of iron with carbon and usually other elements, used as a structural and fabricating material: [as modifier]: steel girders...
- This shining metal was not raw iron but hard steel, which bent the softer wrought-iron blades of the Gauls.
- Adding carbon to iron to make steel does make it stronger and tougher, up to a point.
- Carbon steel is an alloy of iron with small amounts of Mn, S, P, and Si. Alloy steels are carbon steels with other additives such as nickel, chromium, vanadium, etc.
1.1Used as a symbol or embodiment of strength and firmness: nerves of steel [as modifier]: a steel will...
- The big Castlewellan player showed nerves of steel to hammer the ball through the uprights and square the match.
- It's all very well playing great football but you also need a bit of strength and steel about you to make sure you don't concede goals like that.
- Tristan grabbed me right back from him and anchored me to his side with the strength of steel.
1.2 [count noun] A rod of roughened steel on which knives are sharpened.With it I demonstrate that it is impossible to cut yourself when sharpening on a steel as long as you use Neville knives.
verb [with object]
Mentally prepare (oneself) to do or face something difficult: his team were steeling themselves for disappointment [with infinitive]: she steeled herself to remain calm...
- It's all because I'm mentally steeling myself in preparation for next Monday.
- Stiffening, his hand gravitating to his sword hilt, Ikeda steeled himself, preparing for any situation.
- When that was confirmed I realised I had actually been steeling myself in preparation.
Synonyms
brace oneself, nerve oneself, summon/gather/screw up/muster one's courage, screw one's courage to the sticking place, gear oneself up, prepare oneself, get in the right frame of mind, make up one's mind;
fortify oneself, harden oneself, bolster oneself
informal psych oneself up
literary gird (up) one's loins
Origin
Old English stȳle, stēli, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch staal, German Stahl, also to stay2. The verb dates from the late 16th century.