zinc, v.

zinc
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zinc_v%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1921; not fully revised

# zincverb

## Earlier version

- zinc, v. in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the verb zinc mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb zinc. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

#### Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

### How common is the verb zinc?

About 0.1occurrences per million words in modern written English

1830 | 0.059
1840 | 0.069
1850 | 0.077
1860 | 0.091
1870 | 0.11
1880 | 0.14
1890 | 0.17
1900 | 0.2
1910 | 0.21
1920 | 0.23
1930 | 0.22
1940 | 0.21
1950 | 0.19
1960 | 0.19
1970 | 0.16
1980 | 0.14
1990 | 0.13
2000 | 0.12
2010 | 0.11

### How is the verb zinc pronounced?

#### British English

/zɪŋk/

#### U.S. English

/zɪŋk/

### Where does the verb zinc come from?

Earliest known use

1840s

The earliest known use of the verb zinc is in the 1840s.

OED's only evidence for zinc is from 1843, in Pract. Mechanic & Engineer's Magazine.

It is also recorded as a noun from the mid 1600s.

zinc is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: zinc n.

### Nearby entries

1. zillionth, n. & adj. 1940–
2. zimb, n. 1790–
3. Zimba, n. 1625–
4. Zimbabwe, n. 1891–
5. Zimbabwean, adj. & n. 1961–
6. zimbel, n. 1888–
7. zimme, n. 1848–63
8. Zimmer, n. 1951–
9. zina, n. 1817–
10. zinc, n. 1651–
11. zinc, v.1843–
12. zinc-air, adj. 1970–
13. Zincala, n. 1844–91
14. Zincalo, n. 1841–
15. zinc-alum, n. 1851–
16. zinc-amide, n. 1859–
17. zincate, n. 1872–
18. zinc-blende, n. 1842–
19. zinc-bloom, n. 1842–
20. zinc chloride, n. 1851–
21. zinc chromate, n. 1851–

## Etymology

< zinc n.

## Meaning & use

1. 1843–
   trans. To cover or coat with zinc or some compound of zinc (esp. ironwork, as a preservative from rust); to treat with zinc, add zinc to.
   1. 1843

      > These processes enable us to zinc in an economical manner, iron, steel [etc.].

      Pract. Mechanic & Engineer's Magazine vol. 2 342
   metal industry
   1. tin 1398–
      transitive. To cover with a thin deposit of tin; to coat or plate with tin.
   2. lead c1440–
      To cover with lead. Also with over.
   3. iron c1450–
      transitive. To fit, furnish, or cover (an object) with iron. Frequently in passive.
   4. lay 1472–
      To re-steel (a cutting instrument). dialect.
   5. copper 1530–
      transitive. To cover with copper; to sheathe the bottom and sides of a ship with copper.
   6. braze 1552–
      transitive. To make of brass; to cover or ornament with brass.
   7. silverize 1605–
      transitive. To silver; to treat with a preparation of silver; to render silvery in colour.
   8. foliate 1665–
      transitive. To foil (glass); to silver.
   9. plate 1686–
      transitive. To cover (something) with a thin coating of film of metal, esp. of gold or silver. Also figurative.
   10. whiten 1687–1800
       transitive. To coat or plate with tin; = tin, v. 1. Obsolete.
   11. foil 1714–1818
       transitive. To apply foil or a foil to. To apply an amalgam of tinfoil and mercury to (glass, a mirror). See foil, n.¹ 4b. Obsolete.
   12. blanch 1729
       To make (metals) white: in Alchemy by ‘albation,’ or ‘albification’; in technical use, to tin.
   13. quicken 1738–
       transitive. To treat, coat, or mix with mercury. Cf. quicksilver, v., quick, v.³
   14. amalgam 1789–1923
       transitive. To coat or cover with amalgam. Cf. amalgamed, adj. Obsolete.
   15. quick 1790–
       transitive. To coat (metal or a metal object) with mercury or a solution containing mercury so as to facilitate the adherence of a gold or silver…
   16. aluminize 1791–
       transitive. To treat or impregnate with alum.
   17. plate 1791–
       transitive. To fix or deposit (a thin coating or film of metal) on or upon a surface; to deposit as a coating, esp. electrolytically.
   18. zincify 1801–
       trans. To coat or impregnate with zinc.
   19. amalgamize 1803–79
       transitive. To coat or cover with amalgam. Cf. amalgam, v. 1d. Obsolete.
   20. platinize 1825–
       transitive. To coat or plate with platinum.
   21. resilver 1832–
       transitive. To silver again; to replate with silver; to recoat (a mirror) with a reflective metallic film. Also intransitive.
   22. galvanize 1839–
       To cover with a coating of metal by means of galvanic electricity. Commonly but incorrectly applied to the coating of iron with zinc to protect it…
   23. electrocopper 1843–
       transitive to coat (an article, metal, etc.) with copper by electroplating.
   24. electroplate 1843–
       transitive and intransitive. To coat (an article or material) with a metal (spec. silver) by electrolysis. Also: to apply (a coating) in this way…
   25. zinc 1843–
       trans. To cover or coat with zinc or some compound of zinc (esp. ironwork, as a preservative from rust); to treat with zinc, add zinc to.
   26. electro-silver 1851–
       transitive. To coat with silver by electrolysis.
   27. platinate 1858–
       transitive. = platinize, v. (usually in passive).
   28. electrotin 1859–
       transitive. To coat (an article, metal, etc.) with tin by electroplating.
   29. white-lead 1863–
       transitive. To cover, impregnate, or treat with white lead (white lead, n. 1).
   30. palladiumize 1864
       transitive. To coat, treat, or combine with palladium.
   31. white-metal 1864–
       transitive. To coat or line with white metal (alloy); to cover over with white metal.
   32. brass c1865–
       transitive. To coat with brass by electro-plating or otherwise.
   33. nickelize 1865–
       transitive. To coat with nickel or with a nickel alloy.
   34. nickel-plate 1872–
       transitive. To coat with a thin layer of nickel.
   35. nickel 1875–
       transitive. To plate with nickel or with a nickel alloy.
   36. stopper 1884–
       Metallurgy. (See quot. 1884.) Also with down.
   37. electro 1891
       transitive. = electroplate, v.
   38. sherardize 1904–
       transitive. To coat (iron or steel articles) with zinc by heating in contact with zinc dust at a temperature below the melting point of zinc.
   39. steel 1911–
       transitive. To overlay, point or edge with steel. Often in passive to be (well) steeled.
   40. stellite 1934–
       transitive to coat with Stellite.
   41. flame-plate 1954–
   42. steel-face 1961–
       (transitive).
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zɪŋk/

### U.S. English

/zɪŋk/

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

## Forms

### Variant forms

Inflected zinced, zin(c)ked /zɪŋkt/ , zincing, zin(c)king /ˈzɪŋkɪŋ/ .

## Frequency

zinc typically occurs about 0.1 times per million words in modern written English.

zinc is in frequency band 4, which contains words occurring between 0.1 and 1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zinc, v., 1830–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1830 | 0.059
1840 | 0.069
1850 | 0.077
1860 | 0.091
1870 | 0.11
1880 | 0.14
1890 | 0.17
1900 | 0.2
1910 | 0.21
1920 | 0.23
1930 | 0.22
1940 | 0.21
1950 | 0.19
1960 | 0.19
1970 | 0.16
1980 | 0.14
1990 | 0.13
2000 | 0.12
2010 | 0.11

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zinced, adj. & n. 1841–

1. zincing, adj. & n. 1841–

zinc, v. was first published in 1921; not fully revised.

zinc, v. was last modified in December 2024.