Hypertext Webster Gateway: "amalgam"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Amalgam \A*mal"gam\, v. t. ? i. [Cf. F. amalgamer]
To amalgamate. --Boyle. B. Jonson.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
amalgam
n 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
[syn: {dental amalgam}]
2: a combination or blend of diverse things; "his theory is an
amalgam of earlier ideas"
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