tombac

American  

[tom-bak] / ˈtɒm bæk /

noun

1. an alloy, used to imitate gold, containing from 70 to 92 percent copper with zinc and sometimes tin and other materials forming the remainder.

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tombac British  

/ ˈtæmbæk, ˈtɒmbæk /

noun

1. any of various brittle alloys containing copper and zinc and sometimes tin and arsenic: used for making cheap jewellery, etc

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Etymology

Origin of tombac

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Dutch tombak, from Portuguese tambaca, from Malay tembaga “copper,” from Indo-Aryan (compare Hindi tambiyā “copper or brass vessel,” Sanskrit tāmraka “copper”

Example Sentences

In this galley there was one cannon made of tombac, a precious sort of metal, which was valued at above 7000 ducats, and another cannon reckoned still more valuable on account of its curious workmanship.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07 by Kerr, Robert

When a small percentage of zinc is present, the colour of brass is reddish, as in tombac or red brass, which contains about 10%.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various