noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A solid solution of carbon in iron; the chief constituent of steel.
2. 2
   a solid solution of carbon in alpha-iron that is formed when steel is cooled so rapidly that the change from austenite to pearlite is suppressed; responsible for the hardness of quenched steel wordnet
3. 3
   Any crystal structure formed by a martensitic transition.

Etymology

Named after German metallurgist Adolf Martens (1850–1914).

Related phrases

solid solution

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.