pewter
adjEtymology From Middle English peutre, from Old French peautre, from Vulgar Latin *peltrum (“pewter”), which is of uncertain origin. Possibly related to spelter.
1
Of a dark, dull grey colour, like that of the metal.
pewter
nounUK /ˈpjuːtə/ · US /ˈpjutɚ/
Etymology From Middle English peutre, from Old French peautre, from Vulgar Latin *peltrum (“pewter”), which is of uncertain origin. Possibly related to spelter.
1
An alloy of approximately 93–98% tin and 1–2% copper, and the balance of antimony.
- the pewter plates on the dresser Caught and reflected the flame1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, (please specify either |part=I or II):
2
Historical An alloy of tin and lead.
3
Items made of pewter; pewterware.
4
A beer tankard made from pewter.
- The room was arranged by low wooden partitions into bays, where eight or ten men could sit together and rest their pewters and glasses on the narrow tables between.1876, Edward Jenkins, The Devil's Chain, page 86:
- When ranged up, these were discovered to be the tumbler, the pannikin, and the cracked cup aforesaid, a pickle jar, a jam pot, and a battered pewter marked "Britannia Hotel," a diversity of receptacles that called for the highest mathematical skill in measuring out an exact quantity to each guest.1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 26:
5
A dark, dull grey colour, like that of the metal.
- Derived terms
- Mexican pewter, pewterwort, pewtery