Amalgam
[ə'mælgəm] or [ə'mælɡəm]
Definition
(noun.) a combination or blend of diverse things; 'his theory is an amalgam of earlier ideas'.
(noun.) an alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth; except for iron and platinum all metals dissolve in mercury and chemists refer to the resulting mercury mixtures as amalgams.
Inputed by Josiah--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) An alloy of mercury with another metal or metals; as, an amalgam of tin, bismuth, etc.
(n.) A mixture or compound of different things.
(n.) A native compound of mercury and silver.
(v. t. / i.) To amalgamate.
Editor: Quentin
Definition
n. a compound of mercury with another metal: any soft mixture: a combination of various elements: one of the ingredients in an alloy.—v.t. Amal′gamate to mix mercury with another metal: to compound.—v.i. to unite in an amalgam: to blend.—n. Amalgamā′tion the blending of different things: a homogeneous union of diverse elements.—adj. Amalgamā′tive.
Edited by Harold
Examples
- Dissolve the amalgam in the acid and then add the alcohol. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
- They are coiners on a large scale, and have used the machine to form the amalgam which has taken the place of silver. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- Their alchemy was closely associated with metallurgy, the making of alloys and amalgams, and th e handicrafts of the goldsmiths and silversmiths. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
Typed by Ernestine