amalgam definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

admixture, blend, fusion, merger, mix, alloy, combination, composite, compound, mishmash, soup,

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amalgam - 9 dictionary results

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a⋅mal⋅gam

[uh-mal-guh

–noun

1.	an alloy of mercury with another metal or metals.

2.	an alloy that consists chiefly of silver mixed with mercury and variable amounts of other metals and is used as a dental filling.

3.	a rare mineral, an alloy of silver and mercury, occurring as silver-white crystals or grains.

4.	a mixture or combination: His character is a strange amalgam of contradictory traits.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME amalgam(e) < MF < ML < dial. Ar al the + malgham < Gk málagma softening agent, equiv. to malak- (s. of malássein to soften) + -ma n. suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : amalgam

Spanish:

empaste,

German:

der Zahnzement,

Japanese:

歯科用セメント

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a·mal·gam (ə-māl'gəm) Pronunciation Key
n.

Any of various alloys of mercury with other metals, especially:
1. An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings.
2. An alloy of mercury and tin used in silvering mirrors.
A combination of diverse elements; a mixture: an amalgam of strength, reputation, and commitment to ethical principles. See Synonyms at mixture.

[Middle English, from Old French amalgame, from Medieval Latin amalgama, probably ultimately from Greek malagma, soft mass.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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amalgam

1471, "soft mass formed by chemical manipulation," from M.L. amalgama, "alloy of mercury (esp. with gold or silver)," an alchemists' word, perhaps an alt. of L. malagma "poultice, plaster," from Gk. malagma "softening substance," from malassein "to soften," from malakos "soft." The word may have come from Gk. via Arabic al-malgham. Amalgamation in the figurative sense of "combining into one uniform whole" is from 1775.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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amalgam
noun
1.	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
2.	a combination or blend of diverse things; "his theory is an amalgam of earlier ideas"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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amalgam (ə-māl'gəm) Pronunciation Key

An alloy of mercury and another metal, especially:
An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings.
An alloy of silver and tin used in silvering mirrors.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

amalgam a·mal·gam (ə-māl'gəm)
n.
Any of various alloys of mercury with other metals, as with tin or silver, used for filling teeth.

Main Entry: amal·gam
Pronunciation: &-'mal-g&m
Function: noun
: an alloy of mercury with another metal that is solid or liquid at roomtemperature according to the proportion of mercury present and is used especially in making tooth cements

Amalgam

A*mal"gam\, n. [F. amalgame, prob. fr. L. malagma, Gr. ?, emollient, plaster, poultice, fr. ? to make soft, fr. ? soft.]

1. An alloy of mercury with another metal or metals; as, an amalgam of tin, bismuth, etc.

Note: Medalists apply the term to soft alloys generally.

2. A mixture or compound of different things.

3. (Min.) A native compound of mercury and silver.

Amalgam

A*mal"gam\, v. t. ? i. [Cf. F. amalgamer] To amalgamate. --Boyle. B. Jonson.