Definition of "amalgam" []

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

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Kors: You wrote Spanglish, arguing that this amalgam is a valid form of expression, not a slumland corruption of two great languages."
• "Again, you will see I can repeat this experiment with another substance; for if I take a glass rod, and rub it with a piece of silk covered with what we call amalgam, look at the attraction which it has; how it draws the ball toward it; and then, as before, by quietly rubbing it through the hand, the attraction will be all removed again, to come back by friction with this silk."
• "Also of note is the fact that foods high in sulfur will exacerbate the odor according to Dr. Andrew Cutler who has written a manual on mercury detox from what he calls amalgam illness."