[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

iron \i"ron\ imac"u^rn, a. as. imacren, imacsen. see
   iron, n.
   1913 webster
   1. of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar,
      dust.
      1913 webster

   2. resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.
      1913 webster

   3. like iron in hardness, strength, impenetrability, power of
      endurance, insensibility, etc.; as:
      a rude; hard; harsh; severe.
          1913 webster

                iron years of wars and dangers.   --rowe.
          1913 webster

                jove crushed the nations with an iron rod.
                                                  --pope.
      b firm; robust; enduring; as, an iron constitution.
      c inflexible; unrelenting; as, an iron will.
      d not to be broken; holding or binding fast; tenacious.
          "him death's iron sleep oppressed." --philips.
          1913 webster

   note: iron is often used in composition, denoting made of
         iron, relating to iron, of or with iron; producing
         iron, etc.; resembling iron, literally or figuratively,
         in some of its properties or characteristics; as,
         iron-shod, iron-sheathed, iron-fisted, iron-framed,
         iron-handed, iron-hearted, iron foundry or
         iron-foundry.
         1913 webster

   iron age.
      a myth. the age following the golden, silver, and
          bronze ages, and characterized by a general
          degeneration of talent and virtue, and of literary
          excellence. in roman literature the iron age is
          commonly regarded as beginning after the taking of
          rome by the goths, a. d. 410.
      b archaeol. that stage in the development of any
          people characterized by the use of iron implements in
          the place of the more cumbrous stone and bronze.

   iron cement, a cement for joints, composed of cast-iron
      borings or filings, sal ammoniac, etc.

   iron clay min., a yellowish clay containing a large
      proportion of an ore of iron.

   iron cross, a german, and before that prussian, order of
      military merit; also, the decoration of the order.

   iron crown, a golden crown set with jewels, belonging
      originally to the lombard kings, and indicating the
      dominion of italy. it was so called from containing a
      circle said to have been forged from one of the nails in
      the cross of christ.

   iron flint min., an opaque, flintlike, ferruginous
      variety of quartz.

   iron founder, a maker of iron castings.

   iron foundry, the place where iron castings are made.

   iron furnace, a furnace for reducing iron from the ore, or
      for melting iron for castings, etc.; a forge; a
      reverberatory; a bloomery.

   iron glance min., hematite.

   iron hat, a headpiece of iron or steel, shaped like a hat
      with a broad brim, and used as armor during the middle
      ages.

   iron horse, a locomotive engine. colloq.

   iron liquor, a solution of an iron salt, used as a mordant
      by dyers.

   iron man cotton manuf., a name for the self-acting
      spinning mule.

   iron mold or iron mould, a yellow spot on cloth stained
      by rusty iron.

   iron ore min., any native compound of iron from which the
      metal may be profitably extracted. the principal ores are
      magnetite, hematite, siderite, limonite, g"othite,
      turgite, and the bog and clay iron ores.

   iron pyrites min., common pyrites, or pyrite. see
      pyrites.

   iron sand, an iron ore in grains, usually the magnetic iron
      ore, formerly used to sand paper after writing.

   iron scale, the thin film which forms on the surface of
      wrought iron in the process of forging. it consists
      essentially of the magnetic oxide of iron, fe3o4.

   iron works, a furnace where iron is smelted, or a forge,
      rolling mill, or foundry, where it is made into heavy
      work, such as shafting, rails, cannon, merchant bar, etc.
      1913 webster
see also:
iron iron age iron cement iron clay iron cross iron crown 
iron flint iron founder iron foundry iron furnace iron glance 
iron hat iron horse iron liquor iron man iron mold 
iron mould iron ore iron pyrites pyrites iron sand 
iron scale fe3o4 iron works 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

iron age
     n 1: archeology the period following the bronze age;
          characterized by rapid spread of iron tools and weapons
     2: classical mythology the last and worst age of the world

[3] : Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)

iron age n. in the history of computing, 1961-1971 -- the formative era
   of commercial mainframe technology, when ferrite-core dinosaurs
   ruled the earth. the iron age began, ironically enough, with the
   delivery of the first minicomputer the pdp-1 and ended with the
   introduction of the first commercial microprocessor the intel 4004 in
   1971. see also stone age; compare elder days.


see also:
mainframe dinosaur stone age elder days 

[4] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

iron age
     
         in the history of computing, 1961-1971 - the
        formative era of commercial mainframe technology, when
        ferrite core memory dinosaurs ruled the earth.  the iron
        age began, ironically enough, with the delivery of the first
        minicomputer the pdp-1 and ended with the introduction
        of the first commercial microprocessor the intel 4004 in
        1971.
     
        see also stone age; compare elder days.
     
        jargon file
     
        2003-09-27
     
     
see also:
mainframe ferrite core memory dinosaurs minicomputer pdp-1 microprocessor 
intel 4004 stone age elder days jargon file 

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