Dictionary

German silver en · NOUN

Etymology

From its appearance and its development by 19th-century German metalworkers in imitation of the Chinese alloy known as paktong.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) Cupronickel, nickel silver; specifically the variety developed by 19th-century German metalworkers, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc.
   • Of these, unquestionably, the most popular are the German silvers, i.e., the alloys of nickel, copper, and zinc. 1922, Metal Industry, volume 21, page 129:
   • —Platinoid, the professor said solemnly, is preferred to German silver because it has a lower coefficient of resistance by changes of temperature. 1916, James Joyce, chapter V, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC:
   • German silvers are also used in ornamental hardware, costume jewelry, valves, rivets, springs, and plumbing fixtures. A typical German silver contains about 66% copper, 17% nickel, and 17% zinc. 1998, The Encyclopedia Americana: International Edition, Volume 1, page 582:
   • Between 1865 and 1880, the supply of German silver increased greatly, leading to an abundance of items manufactured from it and a decline in its value as a rare commodity. Southern Plains metalsmiths produced horse gear, pectorals and crosses, earrings, finger rings, other jewelry, and decorative objects with German silver. 1999, Daniel C. Swan, Peyote Religious Art: Symbols of Faith and Belief, University Press of Mississippi, page 63:
   • Mr. Briggs recommended plated medals, on German silver, as the best. 1841, John Yonge Akerman, editor, The Numismatic Chronicle, Volume IV: April 1841—January 1842, page 175:
   • German silver is noted for its whiteness, lustre, brilliance, tenacity, and toughness, and its power of resisting chemical influences. 1907, [D. McKay], Paul N. Hasluck, Metalworking: Old-fashioned Tools, Materials, and Processes for the Handyman, Skyhorse Publishing, published 2011, page 8:

Forms

Synonyms

nickel brass (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · new silver (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · argentan (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · electrum (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · albata (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · cupronickel (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · paktong (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · nickel silver (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc) · maillechort (alloy of copper, nickel and zinc)