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electrum

 - 3 dictionary results

e⋅lec⋅trum

  [i-lek-truhm]
Use electrum in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L < Gk lektron amber, alloy of gold and silver
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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e·lec·trum   (ĭ-lěk'trəm)   
n.  An alloy of silver and gold.

[Middle English, from Latin ēlectrum, amber, from Greek ēlektron.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

electrum 
"alloy of gold and silver," 1398 (in O.E. elehtre), from L., lit. "amber," so called probably for its pale yellow color.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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