Wrought

Wrought is the past participle of the verb to work and functions as an adjective in English to mean formed, shaped, or created by labor. It is commonly used to describe objects that have been carefully fashioned by skill and effort, rather than simply cast or molded. The term is especially familiar in metallurgy and decorative arts, where phrases such as wrought iron or wrought copper signal substantial shaping of the metal.

Etymology and usage: Wrought comes from Old English geworht, the past participle of wyrcan (to work). In modern English it appears most often in formal or traditional contexts and in technical terminology related to metalworking.

Metallurgical meaning: In metalworking, a wrought metal has been mechanically worked after solidification—by forging, hammering, rolling, or extruding—to alter its shape, grain structure, and properties. Wrought iron is the classic example: historically produced by decarburizing and working cast iron through processes like puddling and forging, it yields a tough, ductile metal with a distinctive fibrous slag structure and very low carbon content. By contrast, cast metals are formed by pouring molten metal into molds and solidifying.

Modern usage and context: Today, true wrought iron production has largely ceased in favor of steel-making and fabrication, and the term often survives in historical or decorative contexts. Descriptions of wrought steel or wrought aluminum refer to metals that have been shaped by mechanical methods, rather than by casting. Beyond metallurgy, wrought can also denote something elaborately worked or crafted, such as decorative metalwork or finely wrought ornament.