enamel
pronunciation
How to pronounce enamel in British English:
UK [ɪˈnæml]
How to pronounce enamel in American English:
US [ɪˈnæməl]
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- Noun:
- hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth
- a colored glassy compound (opaque or partially opaque) that is fused to the surface of metal or glass or pottery for decoration or protection
- a paint that dries to a hard glossy finish
- any smooth glossy coating that resembles ceramic glaze
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- Verb:
- coat, inlay, or surface with enamel
Word Origin
- enamel
- enamel: [14] The underlying meaning element in enamel is ‘melting’. It comes ultimately from a prehistoric Germanic base *smalt- (source of English schmaltz ‘sentimentality’ [20], borrowed via Yiddish from German schmalz ‘fat, dripping’), and related Germanic forms produced English smelt, melt, and malt. Old French acquired the Germanic word and turned it into esmauz; this in turn was re-formed to esmail, and Anglo-Norman adopted it as amail.This formed the basis, with the prefix en- ‘in’, of a verb enamailler ‘decorate with enamel’. English borrowed it, and by the mid-15th century it was being used as a noun for the substance itself (the noun amel, a direct borrowing from Anglo-Norman, had in fact been used in this sense since the 14th century, and it did not finally die out until the 18th century).Its application to the substance covering teeth dates from the early 18th century.=> malt, melt, schmaltz, smelt
- enamel (v.)
- early 14c., from Anglo-French enamailler (early 14c.), from en- "in" (see en- (1)) + amailler "to enamel," variant of Old French esmailler, from esmal "enamel," from Frankish *smalt, from Proto-Germanic *smaltjan "to smelt" (see smelt (v.)). Related: Enameled; enameler; enameling.
- enamel (n.)
- early 15c., in ceramics, from enamel (v.). As "hardest part of a tooth," 1718, from a use in French émail.
Example
- 1. Scientists say any well-designed fluoride toothpaste will make enamel more acid resistant .
- 2. An analysis of her tooth enamel suggests she ate fruit , nuts and leaves .
- 3. However , overfluoridating children can lead to fluorosis -- disruption in enamel formation during tooth development .
- 4. They had the thickest tooth enamel of the early human ancestors .
- 5. But creating a perfect ( uncracked ) enamel face is another delicate element of the watchmaker 's art .