steelen

English

Etymology

From Middle English stelen, from Old English stīelen (“made of steel”), from Proto-West Germanic *stahlīn. By surface analysis, steel +‎ -en.

Adjective

steelen (not comparable)

1. (literary, literally or figuratively) Made of steel.
   • 1908, Alan Hughes Burgoyne, The War Inevitable, page 64:

     At three-thirty a hush fell on the scene and the quiet swish of the warm waves, smacking in resonance the steelen sides, alone gave sound, a sleep-bringing lullaby dear to the soul of every sailor.

   • 2006, Steve Albert, Vengeance, page 162:

     But it was still the eyes that Quill came back to, for they coveted a natural intelligence and a steelen resolve.

Related terms

• steely