wootz
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English
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
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