amalgam
/əˈmæl.ɡəm/ noun, verb
Forms amalgams amalgaming amalgamed
- noun (metallurgy) An alloy containing mercury.
- noun A combination of different things.
- noun One of the ingredients in an alloy.
- noun (dentistry) An alloy of mercury used to fill tooth cavities.
- verb (ambitransitive, archaic) To amalgamate (something) with a thing.
Synonyms
alloy blend combo compound conglomerate mixture dental amalgam
Etymology
From Medieval Latin amalgama (“mercury alloy”), from Arabic اَلْمَلْغَم (al-malḡam, “emollient poultice or unguent for sores”), from Ancient Greek μάλαγμα (málagma, “emollient; malleable material”), from μαλάσσω (malássō, “to soften”), from μαλακός (malakós, “soft”). Doublet of malagma. For the verb, compare French amalgamer.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An alloy of mercury with another metal or metals; as, an amalgam of tin, bismuth, etc.
- noun A mixture or compound of different things.
- verb To amalgamate. Boyle. B. Jonson.
Etymology [Cf. F. amalgamer]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “amalgam”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details