electrum

American  

[ih-lek-truhm] / ɪˈlɛk trəm /

noun

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

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

3. German silver; nickel silver.

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electrum British  

/ ɪˈlɛktrəm /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of electrum

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

Example Sentences

This song has an axis of electrum, chile.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2022

Responsible banking opinion everywhere last week treated electrum talk as September madness.

From Time Magazine Archive

Before Croesus the Greeks used coins of a gold and silver alloy called electrum.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Egyptians classified metals under two heads--namely, the noble metals, as gold, electrum, and silver; and the base metals, as copper, iron, lead, and, at a later period, tin.

From Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt by Maspero, G. (Gaston)

I have fashioned thy 10 limbs in electrum, thy bones in brass, and thy arms in iron.

From Egyptian Literature Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings by Wilson, Epiphanius