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An amalgam is a mixture of different things that have been brought together so they now act as one mix, even if you can still tell the parts apart in your mind. The oldest concrete sense is a blend of mercury with another metal — the soft silver stuff dentists once packed into teeth (dental amalgam).
An amalgam is a mixture of different things that have been brought together so they now act as one mixamalgam是把不同東西結合在一起、讓它們現在像一個整體那樣運作的混合物，even if you can still tell the parts apart in your mind即使你心裡還是能分辨出各個部分。The oldest concrete sense is a blend of mercury with another metal最古老、最具體的意思是水銀跟另一種金屬的混合物——the soft silver stuff dentists once packed into teeth (dental amalgam)就是牙醫以前拿來補牙齒的那種軟軟的銀色東西（牙科用汞合金）。
From that, writers borrowed it for anything mixed: a band that is an amalgam of jazz and folk, a plan that is an amalgam of two older ideas, a neighbourhood that is an amalgam of languages. It is a slightly formal, essay-ready noun; in casual speech people often just say mix or mixture.
From that, writers borrowed it for anything mixed從這裡，作家把它借用來形容任何混合的東西：a band that is an amalgam of jazz and folk一個融合爵士和民謠的樂團、a plan that is an amalgam of two older ideas一個融合兩個舊想法的計畫、a neighbourhood that is an amalgam of languages一個融合多種語言的社區。It is a slightly formal, essay-ready noun這是個稍微正式、適合寫作文的名詞，in casual speech people often just say mix or mixture口語裡大家通常就直接說mix或mixture。
It is not quite the same as blend when the writer wants you to feel different pieces still sitting side by side. The verb is usually amalgamate (“join into one”), not amalgam.
It is not quite the same as blend它跟blend不完全一樣，when the writer wants you to feel different pieces still sitting side by side當作者想讓你感覺到不同的部分仍然並存著的時候，這時就會用amalgam。The verb is usually amalgamate ('join into one')動詞通常用amalgamate（'合併成一體'），not amalgam而不是amalgam。
組成From Medieval Latin amalgama, a mercury alloy, from Arabic al-malḡam (a softening ointment for sores), from Ancient Greek málagma, “something that softens”, from malássō, “to soften”, from malakós, “soft”. English later stretched the metal-mix meaning to any mix. (It is a doublet of the rare word malagma.)
同家族的字
- amalgamatethe usual verb: to join different things into one mix
- amalgamationthe noun for that joining, often of companies or groups
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
amalgamnoun/əˈmæl.ɡəm/
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engineeringmetallurgynatural-sciencesAn alloy containing mercury.
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A combination of different things.
- […] nor must we overlook, in quite recent times, the ingenious "Dukedog", a little 4-4-0 (officially 90XX class) whose Victorian lineaments arise from an economical amalgam of obsolete "Duke" and "Bulldog" components.
- This was the Ambergate, Nottingham & Boston & Eastern Junction Railway, an amalgam of a number of separate schemes put forward in 1845, which secured its Act on July 16, 1846.
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One of the ingredients in an alloy.
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dentistrymedicinesciencesAn alloy of mercury used to fill tooth cavities.
amalgamverb/əˈmæl.ɡəm/
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archaicTo amalgamate (something) with a thing.
- gold t’amalgam with some six of mercury
- […] I had once occaſion to diſtil in a ſmall Retort ſome Gold amalgamed vvith ſuch a fine and ſubtile Mercury, that being (vvithout the addition of any Salt) put to the Gold in the cold, they preſently grevv hot together.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。