Me*tal"lic (?), a. [L. metallicus, fr. metallum: cf. F. m'etallique. See Metal.]
1.
Of or pertaining to a metal; of the nature of metal; resembling metal; as, a metallic appearance; a metallic alloy.
2. Chem.
Of, pertaining to, or characterized by, the essential and implied properties of a metal, as contrasted with a nonmetal or metalloid; basic; antacid; positive.
<-- conductive of
electricity is now one of the most characteristic properties, and form cations by loss of electrons -->
Metallic iron, iron in the state of the metal, as distinquished from its ores, as magnetic iron. -- Metallic paper, paper covered with a thin solution of lime, whiting, and size. When written upon with a pewter or brass pencil, the lines can hardly be effaced. -- Metallic tinking Med., a sound heard in the chest, when a cavity communicating with the air passages contains both air and liquid.
© Webster 1913.