H. O. Taylor
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Amalgamate Can Be Used Technically and Generally
Today, one can amalgamate—that is, combine into one—any two (or more) things, such as hip-hop and country music, for example. The origins of amalgamate, however, have more to do with heavy metal. Amalgamate comes from the Medieval Latin verb amalgamāre, meaning "to combine (a metal) with mercury." It’s been part of English since the 1500s, its introduction closely trailing that of the noun amalgam (from the Medieval Latin amalgama), which in its oldest use means "a mixture of mercury and another metal." (In dentistry, amalgams combining liquid mercury with powders containing silver, tin, and other metals are sometimes used for filling holes in teeth). The word amalgamate can be used either technically, implying the creation of an alloy of mercury, or more generally for the formation of any compound or combined entity.
Examples of amalgamate in a Sentence
Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Yang suspects that the same reactions that take place in a combustion engine could be occurring naturally within certain mini-Neptunes, producing PAHS that amalgamate as clouds of soot that then rise higher into the atmosphere, perhaps driven upwards by thermal convection currents.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 June 2026
To Coimbra, some key questions involved amalgamating real-life characters into fictionalized ones while still honoring victims and survivors, as well as faithfully recreating the look and feel of the time.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
In this stage of the scent-making process, raw fragrance oils are blended and left alone to age and amalgamate for about two to three weeks, says Bhushan Patel, a senior technical manager of scent at International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
—Mary Honkus, Allure, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for amalgamate
Cite this Entry
“Amalgamate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amalgamate. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
amalgamate
verb
Medical Definition
amalgamate
transitive verb
