A soft, silvery metal alloy (typically made of tin, copper, and antimony) used to reduce friction in machinery bearings; also called Babbitt metal.
Named after Isaac Babbitt, an American inventor who patented this bearing metal alloy in 1839. The term has become eponymous, meaning the inventor's name became the common name for the invention.
Babbit metal was a game-changer for machinery—before it, bearings would wear out and overheat constantly, but babbit's low melting point and soft nature meant machines could run cooler and longer, helping fuel the Industrial Revolution.
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