flint
[ flint ]
/ flɪnt /
noun
a hard stone, a form of silica resembling chalcedony but more opaque, less pure, and less lustrous.
a piece of this, especially as used for striking fire.
a chunk of this used as a primitive tool or as the core from which such a tool was struck.
something very hard or unyielding.
a small piece of metal, usually an iron alloy, used to produce a spark to ignite the fuel in a cigarette lighter.
verb (used with object)
to furnish with flint.
Origin of flint
OTHER WORDS FROM flint
flint·like, adjectiveWords nearby flint
Definition for flint (2 of 2)
Flint
[ flint ]
/ flɪnt /
noun
Austin,1812–86,
U.S. physician: founder of Bellevue and Buffalo medical colleges.
his sonAustin,1836–1915,
U.S. physiologist and physician.
a city in SE Michigan.
Example sentences from the Web for flint
British Dictionary definitions for flint (1 of 2)
flint
/ (flɪnt) /
noun
an impure opaque microcrystalline greyish-black form of quartz that occurs in chalk. It produces sparks when struck with steel and is used in the manufacture of pottery, flint glass, and road-construction materials. Formula: SiO 2
any piece of flint, esp one used as a primitive tool or for striking fire
a small cylindrical piece of an iron alloy, used in cigarette lighters
Also called: flint glass, white flint
colourless glass other than plate glass
See optical flint
verb
(tr)
to fit or provide with a flint
Word Origin for flint
Old English; related to Old High German
flins, Old Swedish
flinta splinter of stone, Latin
splendēre to shine
British Dictionary definitions for flint (2 of 2)
Flint
/ (flɪnt) /
noun
a town in NE Wales, in Flintshire, on the Dee estuary. Pop: 11 936 (2001)
a city in SE Michigan: closure of the car production plants led to a high level of unemployment. Pop: 120 292 (2003 est)
Scientific definitions for flint
flint
[ flĭnt ]
A very hard, gray to black variety of chalcedony that makes sparks when it is struck with steel. It breaks with a conchoidal fracture.
The dark gray to black variety of chert.