Word of the Day

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Amalgam

[ə-MAL-ɡəm]Part of speech: noun

Origin: greek, late 15th century

• A mixture or blend.
• An alloy of mercury with another metal, especially one used for dental fillings.

Examples of Amalgam in a sentence

• The menu at her party was an amalgam of snack foods and fancy baked goods.
• The mark of old-fashioned dental fillings is the silver fillings amalgam, which might need to be replaced.

About Amalgam

The origin of amalgam goes back to the Greek word “malagma,” which means an emollient. An emollient today is a skin softener, so the definitions have changed over the years. Your emollient may likely be an amalgam (mixture) of ingredients, but every amalgam is not an emollient.

Did you Know?

Amalgam can be used to describe a mixture or blend of any materials, but the technical medical and dental definition strictly concerns mercury, blended with another metal. Mercury is an element that can be dangerous to humans, but it’s found to be safe when used as part of the dental amalgam.

Comments

[pfrye.livejournal.com]

Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo were the best enforcement team that UNCLE had. What made them so good was the amalgam of their strengths and weaknesses. Napoleon was charming, witty, a master tactician. He understood people and could manipulate with a smile or conversation. He had empathy and was understanding. He was however lacking in technical and scientific ability, and to be honest would rather use conversation than force unless pressured to do so. Illya was more understanding of the dark side of human nature. He was pragmatic, calculating, and knew that sometimes ruthlessness was needed. He had the scientific and technical knowledge that Napoleon lacked. He however didn't have the charm or empathy that Napoleon did. Between them they were unbeatable.