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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for October 13, 1999
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amalgam [n. uh-MAL-gum]
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There are two kinds of amalgam. One is a metallic mixture of mercury
or gallium with other metals. Although mercury is liquid at room
temperature, amalgam is usually solid but soft. Amalgams are used as
fillings for teeth.
The other kind of amalgam is a combination of diverse elements, but
usually not in a physical mixture. Example: "Flora's personality was
an amalgam of strength, cheerful optimism, and patience."
English borrowed this word from Old French amalgame, which came from
Latin. The ultimate ancestor was probably Greek malagma (soft mass),
a word that is pronounced as if one has a soft mass in the mouth.
Another word from the same root is malleable.
A Cool Fact about mercury:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/08/10.html
A Cool Fact about gallium:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/10/13.html
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