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ironbound

American  
[ahy-ern-bound] / ˈaɪ ərnˈbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. bound with iron.

  2. rock-bound; rugged.

  3. hard; rigid; unyielding.

ironbound British  
/ ˈaɪənˌbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. bound with iron

  2. unyielding; inflexible

  3. (of a coast) rocky; rugged

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ironbound

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; iron, -bound 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.