I. əˈmalgəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English amalgame, malgame, from Middle French amalgame, from Medieval Latin amalgama, probably modification of Arabic al-jamā'ah the assembly
1. : an alloy of mercury with another metal being made with most of the well-known metals except iron and platinum by merely bringing mercury and the other metal into contact, being solid or liquid at room temperature according to the proportion of mercury present, and being used especially in making tooth cements ; specifically : a native alloy of mercury and silver occurring in isometric crystals or in massive form
2. : a combination or mixture of different elements
an amalgam of wisdom and nonsense
an amalgam of peasants and businessmen — New York Times
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English amalgamen, from Middle French amalgamer, from amalgame
transitive verb
1. : amalgamate
2. : to cover with amalgam
intransitive verb
: to unite, combine, or alloy — used with with
mercury amalgaming with an alloy
• amal·ga·ma·ble -gəməbəl adjective