pig iron: Meaning and Definition of

pig' i"ron

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. iron tapped from a blast furnace and cast into pigs in preparation for conversion into steel, cast iron, or wrought iron.
  2. iron in the chemical state in which it exists when tapped from the blast furnace, without alloying or refinement.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.