electrum

[ ih-lek-truhm ]

/ ɪˈlɛk trəm /

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noun

an amber-colored alloy of gold and silver used in ancient times.

an alloy composed of about 50 percent copper, 30 percent nickel, and 20 percent zinc.

German silver; nickel silver.

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Origin of electrum

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin <Greek ḗlektron amber, alloy of gold and silver

Words nearby electrum

electroweak, electroweak force, electroweak interaction, electroweak theory, electrowinning, electrum, electuary, eledoisin, eleemosynary, elegance, elegancy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use electrum in a sentence

The Lydians began coinage by stamping with a punch each ingot or nugget of gold or silver, or a mixture of them called “Electrum.”
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson
On her finger she wore a little ring made of a kind of brass, sometimes called electrum.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
The ornaments represented in the drawings are of pure gold, or electrum, or silver, or copper.
Troy and its Remains|Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann
The most ancient Lydian coins are likewise made of electrum.
Troy and its Remains|Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann

Another ore of gold is the alloy with silver, or argental gold, the electrum of Pliny, so called from its amber shade.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for electrum

electrum

/ (ɪˈlɛktrəm) /

noun

an alloy of gold (55–88 per cent) and silver used for jewellery and ornaments

Word Origin for electrum

C14: from Latin, from Greek ēlektron amber

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012