Metalline

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the appearance, properties, or characteristics of metal; resembling or containing metal in nature or composition
2. Having qualities that are similar to or reminiscent of metal in both appearance and physical properties
3. embodying metallic characteristics in its composition or structure

Etymology: "Metalline" passed through several languages before reaching English. Its ancestor is Latin "metallinus," meaning "of metal," which took shape from the Latin noun "metallum," the source of "metal" itself. The adjective moved into Middle French as "metalin" and then into Middle English as "metallyne," so English speakers were using it centuries before the modern "metalline" settled in as the familiar spelling. Its construction is plain once you see the parts. The base is "metal," and the ending "-ine" is a common adjective-forming suffix, the same one found in words like "feline" or "crystalline." Put together, the word simply means "of, or like, metal," and it describes the sheen, hardness, or cold quality that a substance shares with metal.

Synonyms: metallic, shiny, reflective

Antonyms: nonmetallic, dull, matte