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Nov 17, 2006

This week's theme
Words with a built-in definite article

This week's words
alchemy
lariat
albatross
hoi polloi
amalgam

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Miscellaneous words

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amalgam

1. A mixture of diverse elements.

2. An alloy of mercury with another metal.

[Via French and Latin from Arabic al-malgham (the ointment), from Greek malagma (softening agent).]

See more usage examples of amalgam in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"Many people are going to love this book [Night of the Fireflies], which is a strange amalgam of religion, science and sci-fi."
Jane Rosenthal; Stranger Phenomena of Post-colonial Africa; Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg, South Africa); Nov 10, 2006.

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