corinthian brass
Preserved but no longer current.
An alloy made of a variety of metals (said to be gold, silver, and copper) melted at the conflagration of Corinth in 146 B.C., when the city was burnt to the ground by the consul Mummius. Vases and other ornaments, made by the Romans of this metal, were of greater value than if they had been silver or gold.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “corinthian brass” mean?
An alloy made of a variety of metals (said to be gold, silver, and copper) melted at the conflagration of Corinth in 146 B.C., when the city was burnt to the ground by the consul Mummius. Vases and other ornaments, made by the Romans of this metal, were of greater value than if they had been silver or gold.
Is “corinthian brass” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.