chrome

1 of 3

noun

ˈkrōm

: chromium

: a chromium pigment

: something plated with an alloy of chromium

chrome

2 of 3

verb

chromed; chroming

transitive verb

: to treat with a compound of chromium (as in dyeing)

: chromize

-chrome

3 of 3

noun combining form or adjective combining form

ˌkrōm

: colored thing

heliochrome

: coloring matter

urochrome

Examples of chrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

An older technique that is once again covering masks across the NHL this season is painting on top of chrome to give the mask an unmistakable shine. —

Jesse Granger, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025 Think French manicures, chrome, and abstract nail art in shades of pastel or gradients of pink. —

Glamour, 16 Jan. 2025

Verb

Protecting kids from substance misuse Preventing kids from chroming can be difficult since the items used are often household or hobby items. —

Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024 Portraits of families rendered in paint and chrome Each lowrider tells a story with their car. —

Cross Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 13 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for chrome

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French chrôme, borrowed from Greek chrôma "color" — more at -chrome

Note: Name introduced by the French chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin (1763-1829) in "Du plomb rouge de Sibérie, et expériences sur le nouveau métal qu'il contient," Journal des mines, Messidor, An V [vol. 6, June-July, 1797], pp. 737-60. Vauquelin notes that a word meaning "color"—originally suggested to him by the mineralogist René-Just Haüy—is fitting for the metal not because it has a distinctive color itself, but because the combinations into which it enters with oxygen (as a green oxide and red acid) are remarkable for their colors.

Verb

derivative of chrome entry 1

Noun combining form or adjective combining form

borrowed from Greek -chrōmos "having a color (of the kind specified by the initial element)," adjective derivative of chrōmat-, chrôma "skin, complexion, color," from chrō- (the base of an s-stem *chrowos-, whence chrṓs "surface of the body, skin, flesh, complexion, color," of obscure origin) + -ma, resultative noun suffix

Note: The form *chrowos- is reconstructed on the basis of Mycenaean a-ko-ro-we-e "without spots" (or "of one color"). While chrṓs can be contracted directly from a nominative *chrowṓs, the Homeric accusative chróa, genitive chroós assume *chrowós-a, *chrowos-ós, with hyphaeresis of the second vowel of the stem.

First Known Use

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of chrome was in 1800

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Chrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chrome. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

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Kids Definition

chrome

noun

ˈkrōm

: chromium

: a chromium pigment

: something plated with an alloy of chromium

Medical Definition

chrome

noun

ˈkrōm

: chromium

: a chromium pigment

Last Updated: 24 Jan 2025 - Updated example sentences

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chrome

noun

verb

noun combining form or adjective combining form

Examples of chrome in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near chrome

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition