amalgam

American  

[uh-mal-guhm] / əˈmæl gəm /

noun

1. an alloy of mercury with another metal or metals.

2. an alloy that consists chiefly of silver mixed with mercury and variable amounts of other metals and is used as a dental filling.

3. a rare mineral, an alloy of silver and mercury, occurring as silver-white crystals or grains.

4. a mixture or combination.

   His character is a strange amalgam of contradictory traits.

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amalgam British  

/ əˈmælɡəm /

noun

1. an alloy of mercury with another metal, esp with silver

   dental amalgam

2. a rare white metallic mineral that consists of silver and mercury and occurs in deposits of silver and cinnabar

3. a blend or combination

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amalgam Scientific  

/ ə-măl′gəm /

1. An alloy of mercury and another metal, especially:

2. An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings.

3. An alloy of silver and tin used in silvering mirrors.

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Etymology

Origin of amalgam

1425–75; late Middle English amalgam ( e ) < Middle French < Medieval Latin < dialectal Arabic al the + malgham < Greek málagma softening agent, equivalent to malak- (stem of malássein to soften) + -ma noun suffix

Example Sentences

It is an amalgam of microeconomic irritants that vary by individual, time and place.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bernstein said he wasn't enamoured by the extract and described it as "an amalgam of things that have been written about us".

From BBC

Of Shakespeare’s tragedies it is more propulsive than most, funnier and more modern, too, an amalgam of sex and death and a masquerade ball that requires little improvement.

From New York Times

He later co-founded the Mississippi Loyalist Democrats, an amalgam of civil rights advocates that edged out the state’s white party regulars at the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

From New York Times

The vocal style is lyrical yet speech-like — not exactly recitative, nor song, nor sung speech, but an amalgam of all three.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• admixture
• alloy
• amalgamation