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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ironclad en · ADJ

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ēsh₂r̥no-der.? Proto-Celtic *īsarnombor. Proto-Germanic *īsarną Proto-West Germanic *īsarn Old English īsern Old English īren Middle English iren English iron Proto-Indo-European *gley-der. Proto-Germanic *klaiþijaną Proto-West Germanic *klaiþijan Old English clǣþan Middle English clethen Middle English clad English clad English ironclad From iron + clad.

Meanings

  1. Covered with iron, steel, or (loosely) any other tough metal; armor-plated.
    • Unlike the average vehicle, cash delivery vans are ironclad and almost unstoppable.
    • In that flickering pallor it had the effect of a large and clumsy black insect, an insect the size of an ironclad cruiser, crawling obliquely to the first line of trenches and firing shots out of portholes in its side. 1903, The Land Ironclads, Digitized edition (Science Fiction), Project Gutenberg, published 2006:
  2. (figuratively) Solid or certain; not able to be disputed or questioned; irrefutable.
    • The suspect had an ironclad alibi for his whereabouts on the night of the crime.
  3. (figuratively) Rigorous; severe; exacting.
    • Observers of the day considered his rule more ironclad than that of the Prendergast machine in Kansas City, or even Tammany Hall in New York. 1982, Randall Rothenberg, “Battling For Ballots”, in Princeton Alumni Weekly, volume 82, page 31:
    • an ironclad oath or pledge
  4. (figuratively) Stubborn; inflexible.
    • Even if you’ve run an ironclad household budget and managed your retirement accounts on your own, you’re about to be at a level of wealth in a different stratosphere. It’s time to hire professionals. 2025 March 19, Jessica Roy, “She hit the $1.2 billion jackpot. But the California winner must do this to make it last a lifetime”, in San Francisco Chronicle:
    • He is in his seventieth year, and has done work enough in his life to try the most ironclad constitution. 1893, Carter H. Hepburn, “Leland Stanford”, in Munsey's Weekly, volume 9, page 177:
    • All the previous articles had only elicited a growl here or there from a hide-bound Catholic or from an iron-clad Evangelical, but now his post-bag was full. 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more ironclad Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most ironclad Degree=Sup lexicographic

Coordinates

steelclad[Appendix:Glossary

Hypernyms

metalclad

Translations (12)

es incontrovertible (solid or certain) · es sin fisuras (solid or certain) · ru желе́зный (solid or certain) · fr béton (solid or certain) · nl staalhard (solid or certain) · fr sans faille (solid or certain) · ru желе́зный (rigorous; severe; exacting) · de hieb- und stichfest (solid or certain) · es afianzado (rigorous; severe; exacting) · ru бронено́сный (covered with iron or steel armor) · pl murowany (solid or certain) · es blindado (rigorous; severe; exacting)

ironclad en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ēsh₂r̥no-der.? Proto-Celtic *īsarnombor. Proto-Germanic *īsarną Proto-West Germanic *īsarn Old English īsern Old English īren Middle English iren English iron Proto-Indo-European *gley-der. Proto-Germanic *klaiþijaną Proto-West Germanic *klaiþijan Old English clǣþan Middle English clethen Middle English clad English clad English ironclad From iron + clad.

Meanings

  1. A ship, vessel, or vehicle with a covering of iron, steel, or (loosely) any other tough metal.
    • He turned again to the nearest land ironclad, advancing now obliquely to him and not three hundred yards away, and then scrambled the ground over which he must retreat if he was not to be captured. 1903, The Land Ironclads, Digitized edition (Science Fiction), Project Gutenberg, published 2006:
  2. An armor-plated warship, (especially) one preceding the invention of harveyized steel.
    • About a couple of miles out lay an ironclad very low in the water, almost, to my brother's perception, like a water-logged ship. This was the ram Thunder Child. 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 178:
  3. A wooden warehouse with an outer skin of corrugated metal.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ironclads Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

land ironclad · ironclad beetle

Relateds

ironside

Translations (23)

pt couraçado (a ship covered with iron or steel) · fa آهنپوش (a ship covered with iron or steel) · es acorazado (a ship covered with iron or steel) · fr cuirassé (a ship covered with iron or steel) · ka ჯავშნოსანი სამხედრო გემი (a ship covered with iron or steel) · ru бронено́сец (a ship covered with iron or steel) · ka ჯავშნოსანი (a ship covered with iron or steel) · he מוֹנִיטוֹר (a ship covered with iron or steel) · io kurasonavo (a ship covered with iron or steel) · pt encouraçado (a ship covered with iron or steel) · it corazzata (a ship covered with iron or steel) · uk па́нцерник (a ship covered with iron or steel) · hy զրահանավ (a ship covered with iron or steel) · hy զրահակիր (a ship covered with iron or steel) · es nave acorazada (a ship covered with iron or steel) · cmn 鐵甲艦 /铁甲舰 (a ship covered with iron or steel) · bg бронено́сец (a ship covered with iron or steel) · he אֳנִיָּה מְחֻפַּת שִׁרְיוֹן (a ship covered with iron or steel) · ka ჯავშნოსანი სამხედრო ხომალდი (a ship covered with iron or steel) · de Panzerschiff (a ship covered with iron or steel) · eo kirasa (a ship covered with iron or steel) · uk бронено́сець (a ship covered with iron or steel) · ca cuirassat (a ship covered with iron or steel)