Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zinc

/ˈzɪŋk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.65 in modern English

Syllables
zinc
IPA
/ˈzɪŋk/
15
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A chemical element (symbol Zn) with an atomic number of 30, a blue-silvery metal that is slightly brittle at room temperature and tarnishes slightly in moist air.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An atom of this element.

Countable

noun

A corrugated iron roof.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A zinc countertop.

British usage; Colloquial; Countable; Dated; Uncountable

verb

To electroplate with zinc.

verb

To coat with sunblock incorporating zinc oxide.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-ónts Proto-Indo-European *h₃dóntsder. Proto-Germanic *tindaz Old High German zint? Old High German zinko Middle High German zinke German Zinke? German Zinkbor. English zinc Borrowed from German Zink, related to Zinke (“point, prong”), from Middle High German zinke, from Old High German zinko (“prong, tine”), allied to zint (“a jag, point”), from Proto-Germanic *tindaz (“prong, pinnacle”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth, projection”). Cognate with Old English tind (“tine, prong”), Middle Low German tinde, Icelandic tindur (“spike, tooth of a rake or harrow, pinnacle, peak, battlement”). See also Dutch tinne (“battlement”), German Zinne (“pinnacle, battlement”), Danish tinde (“pinnacle, battlement”), Swedish tinne (“tooth of a rake”), More at tine. Doublet of zincum.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

zincs (plural) zinke (alternative, obsolete) zink (alternative, obsolete) zincs (present, singular) zincing (participle, present) zinking (participle, present) zincking (participle, present) zinced (participle, past) zinced (past) zinked (participle, past) zinked (past) zincked (participle, past)

Derived Forms

alkylzinc allylzinc dezinc dialkylzinc diethylzinc dizinc heptazinc hexazinc monozinc nanozinc nonzinc organozinc

Phrases

Berne Zinc tablet butter of zinc cadmium zinc telluride flowers of zinc platinum-zinc sulfate of zinc sulphate of zinc uranyl zinc acetate

Frequently Paired Words

zincode zincous blende brass calamine franklinite German silver nickelled silver

Synonyms

galvanize zincum zn atomic number 30

Rhymes With

think link drink inc pink sink ink sync shrink blink brink wink

Questions

How do you pronounce zinc?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈzɪŋk/.
What does zinc mean?
A chemical element (symbol Zn) with an atomic number of 30, a blue-silvery metal that is slightly brittle at room temperature and tarnishes slightly in moist air.
Where does zinc come from?
It is traced to Middle High German.

How to pronounce zinc

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “zinc”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈzɪŋk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “zinc”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “zinc” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.