pig iron

Definition

A type of crude, brittle iron shaped like a block, unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, commonly used as an industrial raw material.

Etymology

From pig (“oblong block of cast metal”) + iron.

Example Sentences

• "We spent a lot of time up on the staging of the great furnaces, trying to pick up the tricks of the trade from the taciturn furnacemen who sat around placidly smoking, or chewing twist, and occasionally throwing in more pig iron to the molten white-hot metal."