Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Metallurgy \Met"al*lur`gy\, n. [F. m['e]tallurgie, fr. L.
   metallum metal, Gr. ? a mine + the root of ? work. See
   {Metal}, and {Work}.]
   The art of working metals, comprehending the whole process of
   separating them from other matters in the ore, smelting,
   refining, and parting them; sometimes, in a narrower sense,
   only the process of extracting metals from their ores.

Source : WordNet®

metallurgy
     n : the science and technology of metals