Amalgam


an alloy of mercury with another metal or metals.
an alloy that consists chiefly of silver mixed with mercury and variable amounts of other metals and is used as a dental filling.
a rare mineral, an alloy of silver and mercury, occurring as silver-white crystals or grains.
a mixture or combination:
His character is a strange amalgam of contradictory traits.
Contemporary Examples

The speech began as an amalgam of scare tactics and bipartisan appeal.
Obama Warns of Big Layoffs Unless GOP Caves Howard Kurtz February 18, 2013

Spall says that, faced with the contradictions in the research, they created an amalgam of them.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius? Clive Irving December 13, 2014

Delicious dumplings, soup, dill, and an amalgam of Russian and Polish treasures await.
How to Get the VIP Treatment in Moscow Jolie Hunt February 26, 2010

What emerged from New Yorkers and local sportswriters was an amalgam of shock, disappointment, and disbelief.
Cliff Lee Signs With the Phillies: Get Over It, New York Buzz Bissinger December 14, 2010

Well, it was based on an amalgam of bands—Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, and Van Halen.
Rob Reiner on the State of Romcoms, ‘The Princess Bride’s’ Alternate Ending, and the Red Viper Marlow Stern July 26, 2014

Historical Examples

As soon as the gold comes in contact with the mercury it combines with it and forms an amalgam.
From Paris to New York by Land Harry de Windt

These are the places in which the gold, quicksilver, and amalgam are caught.
Hittel on Gold Mines and Mining John S. Hittell

Its nave is an amalgam, one wall Gothic and its vis–vis a fluted-pilastered Renaissance affair.
How France Built Her Cathedrals Elizabeth Boyle O’Reilly

Will it be difficult to combine tin and mercury, so as to make an amalgam?
The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen Roger Finlay

The precipitated gold is thus amalgamated, the amalgam being removed at intervals, retorted, and the gold recovered.
Marvels of Scientific Invention Thomas W. Corbin

noun
an alloy of mercury with another metal, esp with silver: dental amalgam
a rare white metallic mineral that consists of silver and mercury and occurs in deposits of silver and cinnabar
a blend or combination
n.

c.1400, “blend of mercury with another metal; soft mass formed by chemical manipulation,” from Old French amalgame or directly from Medieval Latin amalgama, “alloy of mercury (especially with gold or silver),” an alchemists’ word, perhaps an alteration of Latin malagma “poultice, plaster,” probably from Arabic al-malgham “an emollient poultice or unguent for sores (especially warm)” [Francis Johnson, “A Dictionary of Persian, Arabic, and English”], perhaps from Greek malagma “softening substance,” from malassein “to soften,” from malakos “soft.”

amalgam a·mal·gam (ə-māl’gəm)
n.
Any of various alloys of mercury with other metals, as with tin or silver, used for filling teeth.
amalgam
(ə-māl’gəm)

An alloy of mercury and another metal, especially:

An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings.

An alloy of silver and tin used in silvering mirrors.

Read Also:

  • Amalgam gilding

    . a process of gilding metalwork in which the metal base is coated with an amalgam of gold and mercury, the latter subsequently being driven off by heat.

  • Amalgam tattoo

    amalgam tattoo amalgam tattoo n. A bluish-black or gray lesion of the oral mucous membrane caused by accidental implantation of silver amalgam into the tissue during tooth restoration or extraction.

  • Amalgamate

    to mix or merge so as to make a combination; blend; unite; combine: to amalgamate two companies. Metallurgy. to mix or alloy (a metal) with mercury. to combine, unite, merge, or coalesce: The three schools decided to amalgamate. to blend with another metal, as mercury. Historical Examples We buy up and amalgamate all the leading […]

  • Amalgamation

    the act or process of . the state or result of being . Commerce. a consolidation of two or more corporations. Metallurgy. the extraction of precious metals from their ores by treatment with mercury. Contemporary Examples Each model is an amalgamation of many different women; eyes from one, lips from another. Mary Katrantzou and Garjan […]

  • Amalgamator

    to mix or merge so as to make a combination; blend; unite; combine: to amalgamate two companies. Metallurgy. to mix or alloy (a metal) with mercury. to combine, unite, merge, or coalesce: The three schools decided to amalgamate. to blend with another metal, as mercury. Historical Examples Some manufacturers use an amalgamator to distribute these […]


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