metallic

Etymology

From Latin metallicus, from metallum (“metal”), from Ancient Greek μέταλλον (métallon). Equivalent to metal + -ic.

adj

1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of metal.
2. Made of or containing metal.
   […] and, lo ! a palace towering ſeems, / With Parian pillars and metallic beams. a. 1712, William King, “Rufinus: Or, The Favourite”, in The Works of the English Poets, volume XX, page 374
   These chemical distinctions then, to which we have referred, are quite independent of physical condition. For instance, amongst the most metallic of the metals is a gas. 1878, Sir Norman Lockyer, “On Dissociation”, in Studies in Spectrum Analysis, page 167
3. (of a sound) Harsh, as if coming from two metals striking one another.
   No sooner had these syllables passed my lips, than—as if a shield of brass had indeed, at the moment, fallen heavily upon a floor of silver—I became aware of a distinct, hollow, metallic and clangorous, yet apparently muffled reverberation. 1839, Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in Tales, London: Wiley & Putnam, published 1846, page 81
4. (of a color) Having the appearance of being of polished metal.

noun

1. A metallic color.
   As Robert Clergerie, whose unisex Popée shoe comes in an array of pastels and eye-popping metallics, explained the attraction, “It gives manhood to women.” May 24, 2007, Karin Nelson, “Keeping Time in Cool Comfort”, in New York Times