wootzとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

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”), Telugu ఉక్కు (ukku, “steel”); akin to Tamil உருகு (uruku, “to melt”) and உருக்கு (urukku, “melted thing, steel”).

発音

• IPA: /wuːts/
• 韻: -uːts

名詞

wootz (countable and uncountable, plural wootzes)

1. 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.

使用する際の注意点

In earlier usage it appears as simply wootz (see quotations), later being referred to as wootz steel