metallography

metallography — noun

1. the branch of science that looks at how metals and alloys are built on the insid

1.nounC1
Definition

the branch of science that looks at how metals and alloys are built on the inside, usually by polishing a small piece of the material and viewing it through a high-powered microscope

Example

In the lab, Lauren learned metallography by polishing steel and viewing it under a microscope.

metallography + learned by polishing sample for viewing

Eliska used metallography to examine the iron bridge beams that showed signs of rust.

metallography + to examine damaged structure

Common collocations
  • metallography report
  • study metallography
  • use metallography
  • metallography techniques
  • learn metallography
Synonyms
  • microstructural analysis

    a more specific term naming the actual technique rather than the discipline

  • metallurgy

    broader field covering extraction, processing, and properties of metals; metallography is a sub-branch of metallurgy

Usage Note

An uncountable noun naming a scientific discipline, not an individual act of analysis. Common in the fields of materials science and mechanical engineering.

Common Mistakes

Metallography includes mining and purifying metal ores.
Metallography focuses on the internal structure of metals using a microscope.
Metallurgy is the broader field; metallography is specifically the microscopic study of internal structure.

Word family

  • metallographic
    adjectiveC1
  • metallographer
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Metallography is one branch within the larger field of metallurgy. Metallurgy covers everything from extracting metal from ore to shaping it into products, while metallography focuses narrowly on looking at the internal structure under a microscope. Microscopy is the general technique of using microscopes — it applies to biology, medicine, and materials alike, so it is much broader than metallography. Materials science is the widest term of the three, covering ceramics, polymers, and composites in addition to metals. If you want to talk about what a metal's surface looks like up close, use metallography; if you are discussing how a metal is made and processed, use metallurgy.

metallurgy ↗microscopymaterials science ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Coined in the mid-1800s from the combining form 'metallo-' (from Greek 'metallon', meaning 'mine' or 'metal') and '-graphy' (from Greek 'graphein', meaning 'to write' or 'to record'). The term literally means 'metal-describing' and was created when scientists began using microscopes to record the internal appearance of metals.

First known use

1871

1871, in the meaning defined above