metall-

¹

1. variant of metallo- especially before a vowel:

   metallurgy.

metall.

²

abbreviation for

1. metallurgical.
2. metallurgy.

Example Sentences

The battle began in late October when a handful of Tesla mechanics joined the Swedish labor union IF Metall.

From Washington Times

Since the mechanics with the powerful Swedish metalworkers’ union IF Metall went on strike, other workers around the country have joined in sympathy, withholding their services to pressure the company.

From Washington Times

Germany’s IG Metall union says it’s concerned about occupational safety at the plant and has fielded reports from “numerous employees” about accidents and health problems that resulted in high staff sickness rates.

From Washington Times

Collective agreements allow “for companies to operate on a level playing field, while avoiding the risk of any one employer distorting competition in the sector by imposing poor conditions on their employees,” the IF Metall union says.

From Washington Times

Since the mechanics with the powerful Swedish metalworkers’ union IF Metall went on strike, other workers around the country have joined in sympathy, withholding their services to pressure the company.

From Seattle Times

Words That Use metall-

What does metall- mean?

The combining form metall- is used like a prefix meaning “metal.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry and medicine.

The form metall- comes from Greek métallon, meaning “metal, mine, quarry.” Yes, quarry! Discover why at our entry for metal.

What are variants of metall-?

The form metall- is a variant of metallo-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. A rare variant of metall- is metalli-, as in metalliferous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for both metalli- and metallo-.

Examples of metall-

A scientific term that features the form metall- is metalloid, “a nonmetal that in combination with a metal forms an alloy.” The word metalloid can also be used as an adjective to mean “resembling both a metal and a nonmetal.”

The metall- part of the word means “metal,” while the suffix -oid means “resembling” or “like.” Metalloid literally translates to “resembling metal” or “metal-like.”

What are some words that use the combining form metall-?

• metallic (using the equivalent form of metall- in Greek)
• metallicize
• metallide
• metalline (using the equivalent form of metall- in Latin)
• metallist
• metallize

What are some other forms that metall- may be commonly confused with?

• meta-
• myel-
• myelo-

Break it down!

The suffix -ine has various meanings, including “made of.” With this in mind, what does the scientific term metalline mean?