From pewter to pinchbeck

By Peter Childs2010-05-01T00:00:00

Peter Childs, University of Limerick, investigates words in chemistry.

Pewter is a bluish-grey alloy of tin (85-99 per cent) with copper or other metals, which may be shiny or dull in appearance. The word's origin is obscure but is thought to be a corruption of spelter, an old name for zinc, which passed into other languages, eg the French peautre. In Roman times the alloy contained over 30 per cent lead. This made it harder than lead, and easily cast into intricate shapes which were fairly corrosion resistant. It was widely used for making plates, utensils etc. However, eating regularly from vessels containing lead is not recommended because lead dissolves in food acids, leading to lead poisoning. Today such pewter is used only for souvenirs.

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