сталь
stalʹ[stalʲ]feminine
The English phrase "steel" is translated into Russian as сталь (stalʹ).
сталь is a feminine noun referring to the metal produced from iron. For example, "stainless steel" is нержавеющая сталь and the "steel industry" is сталелитейная промышленность. A person who works with steel is called a металлург. Idiomatically, the word is used to describe strength of character, such as in the phrases стальные нервы (nerves of steel) to describe someone calm under pressure or стальная воля (will of steel) to describe someone with immense determination.
Meaning: metal produced from iron (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective стально́й, meaning "made of steel", must agree in gender, number and case with the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
stalʹ
Did you know?
- The name Сталин (Stalin), taken by Joseph Stalin, literally means 'man of steel' and was a pseudonym created from the word сталь.
- The word сталь was originally a loanword from German 'Stahl' or Dutch 'staal' rather than being derived from the native Slavic root for 'iron'.
- In Russian poetry and songs, сталь is often used as a metaphor for the industrialization era of the early 20th century and the strength of the Soviet state.
Examples in context
- У Тома стальные яйца.Tom has balls of steel.This sentence uses the form сталь to illustrate a common idiom.Tatoeba #7670732 by Balamax, translation #6973341 by soliloquist
- У него стальная воля.He has a will of steel.Tatoeba #12804763 by marafon, translation #4253029 by orcrist
- У него стальные нервы.He has nerves of steel.Tatoeba #1995436 by mrtaistoi, translation #13637632 by araneo
- Сталь является одним из основных материалов в промышленности.Steel is one of the primary materials in the industry.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Alexander are looking at kitchen knives in a store.
- Мария MariaЭти ножи сделаны из стали.Eti nozhi sdelany iz stali.These knives are made of steel.
- Александр AleksandrОни выглядят очень прочными.Oni vyglyadyat ochen prochnymi.They look very durable.
- Мария MariaДа, качественная сталь долго служит.Da, kachestvennaya stal dolgo sluzhit.Yes, high-quality steel lasts a long time.
- Александр AleksandrТогда купим этот набор.Togda kupim etot nabor.Then let's buy this set.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “steel” translations and entries сталь, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries сталь, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
