chrome

¹

[krohm]

noun

1. chromium.

2. chromium-plated or other bright metallic trim, as on an automobile.

3. (of dyeing) the dichromate of potassium or sodium.

4. Photography.,  a positive color transparency; kodachrome.

verb (used with object)

chromed, chroming 

1. (of dyeing) to subject to a bath of dichromate of potassium or sodium.

2. to plate (metal) with a compound of chromium.

3. to treat or tan (a hide or leather) with a chromium compound.

-chrome

²

1. variant of chrom- as the final element of a compound word.

   polychrome.

chrome

¹

/ krəʊm /

noun

1. 1. another word for chromium, esp when present in a pigment or dye

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chrome dye

2. anything plated with chromium, such as fittings on a car body

3. a pigment or dye that contains chromium

verb

1. to plate or be plated with chromium, usually by electroplating

2. to treat or be treated with a chromium compound, as in dyeing or tanning

-chrome

²

combining form

1. colour, coloured, or pigment

   monochrome

Other Word Forms

• multichrome noun
• unchromed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chrome¹

1790–1800; < French < Greek chrôma color; chrome ( in defs. 1, 2, 6, 7 ) shortened form of chromium

Word History and Origins

Origin of chrome¹

C19: via French from Greek khrōma colour

Origin of chrome²

from Greek khrōma colour

Example Sentences

The droid doesn’t have a face, just that George Lucas-designed chrome head that looks like a drawing of a Borzoi from memory.

From Salon

But Neil and the chrome hearts would also swap their axes for acoustic guitars.

From Salon

For “Paparazzi,” Gaga wore a chrome helmet and hobbled down a long runway using a pair of chrome crutches, the train of her dress billowing heroically behind her.

From Los Angeles Times

Most notably, chromium 6 is used as a durable, anti-corrosive coating — known as chrome — for a variety of automotive and aviation parts, as well as a protective coating to lumber products.

From Los Angeles Times

For “Paparazzi” she donned pieces of chrome armor and strutted across the stage on a pair of crutches.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does -chrome mean?

The combining form -chrome is used like a suffix to mean “color.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms, especially in biology and chemistry.The form -chrome comes from the Greek chrôma, meaning “color” and is the source of the words chroma and chrome, among many others. The chemical element chromium is so named for colorful compounds the metal can form.The form -chrome is a variant of chrom- used at the end of words or word elements. Chromo- is another variant of chrom-.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use chrom- article.  Closely related to -chrome are the combining forms chromato- and chromat-.