Amalgamate

Amalgamate is a verb meaning to merge or blend multiple elements into a single entity. It can describe the uniting of organizations, ideas, or materials, as well as the physical alloying of metals. In common usage, to amalgamate two companies is to combine them into one organization, often through a formal merger or consolidation.

Etymology and forms: The word comes from French amalgame and its verb form amalgame, with roots in Medieval Latin amalgama and related terms in other Romance languages. The noun form is amalgamation, and the related adjective is amalgamated.

Usage and context: In business and law, amalgamation refers to the legal process by which two or more companies form a new corporate entity or unify into a single corporation. The term is more common in British English, where it may carry specific regulatory implications; in American English, merge or consolidate is frequently used, though amalgamation remains understood. The process typically involves due diligence, approval by boards and shareholders, and regulatory clearance.

Contexts outside business: In metallurgy, amalgamation denotes forming an alloy by combining mercury with another metal, an approach historically used in gold extraction and in dental fillings. The dental material known as dental amalgam is a mercury-containing alloy used in some fillings, though its use has declined in favor of other materials due to health and environmental concerns.

See also: merger, consolidation, fusion, alloy, amalgam (the metal alloy itself).