pewter

American  

[pyoo-ter] / ˈpyu tər /

noun

1. any of various alloys in which tin is the chief constituent, originally one of tin and lead.

2. a container or utensil made of such an alloy.

3. such utensils collectively.

   a revival of interest in pewter.

4. British Slang.

   1. a cup awarded as a prize or trophy, as in a sporting event.

   2. prize money.

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adjective

1. consisting or made of pewter.

   a pewter mug.

pewter British  

/ ˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. 1. any of various alloys containing tin (80–90 per cent), lead (10–20 per cent), and sometimes small amounts of other metals, such as copper and antimony

   2. ( as modifier )

      pewter ware

      a pewter tankard

2. 1. a bluish-grey colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      pewter tights

3. plate or kitchen utensils made from pewter

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Other Word Forms

• pewterer noun

Etymology

Origin of pewter

1325–75; Middle English pewtre < Middle French peutre < Vulgar Latin *piltrum; perhaps akin to spelter

Example Sentences

The person who catches the biggest fish goes home with an engraved pewter cup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

He remembers two politicians who would eat together and regularly put in the same order: "Two working man's portions of your beef and two pewter mugs of your finest ales."

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2024

There was a claw-foot tub with pewter fixtures, a charmingly messy bookshelf window-seat, a kitchen painted a cool green.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024

The photographs are made using heliography — “sun writing,” a term coined by 19th century French photography pioneer Nicéphore Niépce — a technique akin to etching with light-sensitive materials on reflective pewter plates.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023

The corrugated iron of the canneries glows with the pearly lucency of platinum or old pewter.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck