wootz

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

wootz

Etymology

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, probably from a misreading of wook, an English transcription of (the root of) Kannada ಉಕ್ಕು (ukku), ಉರ್ಕು (urku, “steel”); akin to Tamil உருகு (uruku, “to melt”) and உருக்கு (urukku, “melted thing, steel”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wuːts/
Rhymes: -uːts

Noun

wootz (countable and uncountable, plural wootzes)

A type of steel from India, much admired for making sword blades.
- 1863, Samuel Smiles, Industrial Biography:
  The celebrated wootz or steel of India, made in little cakes of only about two pounds weight, possesses qualities which no European steel can surpass.
- 1884, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “The Proto-Sideric or Early Iron Age of Weapons”, in The Book of the Sword, London: Chatto and Windus, […], →OCLC, page 110:
  The ferrum Indicum of the Classics may still be represented by the famous Wootz or Wutz, the 'natural Indian steel,' still so much prized for Sword-blades in Persia and Afghanistan.

Usage notes

In earlier usage it appears as simply wootz (see quotations), later being referred to as wootz steel